Love hurts

I love those unusual little pieces of information that you lock away in your head for those special occasions. I remember, many years ago, reading about an 'ogham' stone near Ardmore in County Waterford bearing the inscription amadu, translating as 'the loved one'. I always thought it would be a perfect inscription on the inside of a ring to mark a special occasion (engagement, wedding, eternity).

If you ever rove/ wander through the streets of Dublin, you will naturally walk along the quays of the River Liffey, as its separates the city into the north and south side. One of the landmark features of the Liffey is the pedestrian bridge, know as the ha'penny bridge (one of my recent photos from late May 2013).

Ha'penny bridge over the River Liffey with Liberty Hall to rear in distance.

The ha'penny bridge, a pedestrian bridge, was built in 1816 and was an alternative to the ferries that provided passage across the Liffey. There were turnstiles at either end of the bridge to collect the toll the pedestrians had to pay to cross the river. The bridge is made of cast iron and was cast in Shropshire, England.

The bridge in recent years was conserved and painted from its old silver/grey colour back to the original white colour. If you want to see the old colour and see the bridge and quays in former days, click the link and view the video of Phil Lynott's 'Old Town' (Thin Lizzy). Click for music video

In recent years, loving couples have taken to locking inscribed padlocks onto the railings and arches of the bridge. It's a sign of enduring love, once locked, the keys are thrown into the Liffey. This 'tradition' is causing the city authorities some concerns as the padlocks are both rusting the cast iron and is some cases, being of toughened steel, are risking damage to the softer cast iron. Hence, the authorities, are regularly removing the 'love locks'. Click for radio report

So it's true, love hurts, the unique nearly 200 year old bridge. Is it time for a new tradition... and if you want one that is steeped in history in a unique Irish context, why not inscribe 'amadu' (the loved one) onto a nice finger ring, but make sure you don't throw it in the Liffey.

If any any of you have roved past these collections of 'love locks' around the world, please let us know you thoughts on them. And if you're roving along the ha'penny bridge, let us know what you think about the 'heart breaking' city authorities.