The Dublin Docklands is one the best neighbourhoods in the city for sights.
Dublin is a great city for sights, and no area moreso than the Docklands. There’s the perfect balance between modern architecture, in the likes of the Convention Centre and the Central Bank, and remnants of a time passed, with the chq building and the Custom House. Once a shipyard, which saw hundreds of thousands of Irish people flee during the Famine, it’s now a technology hub, teeming with young professionals.
It’s an area often overlooked, by locals and tourists alike, but it’s got as much, if not more, to see than other tourist traps, like Temple Bar of Grafton Street. Whether they’re paying homage to the past, or welcoming a bright new future, here are all the sights you should check out at the Dublin Docklands.
The Samuel Beckett Bridge
Location: Dublin 1, connecting Sir John Rogerson’s Quay on the south side with Guild Street and North Wall Quay on the north side.
If you’ve ever taken a tour of Dublin, whether it’s on foot, by bus, or even along the Liffey in a boat, you’ll be aware of a certain trend when it comes to our bridges. They tend to be named after writers, or revolutionaries. There’s no shortage of them luckily, but the most impressive is perhaps the Samuel Beckett bridge. Crossing the River Liffey, joining the southside of the city with the north, construction on the bridge commenced in 2007 and finished towards the end of 2009. It was built in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and travelled over 1,000kms to get to Ireland when it was complete.
The shape is based off the harp, an Irish symbol for national identity, heritage, and sovereignty, and was designed by designed by Santiago Calatrava, a renowned Spanish architect, structural engineer, and sculptor. As for who it’s named for, Samuel Beckett was an absurdist playwright, who hailed from Foxrock in County Dublin, but would spend most of his life in France, even fighting as part of the French Resistance during WWII. He is considered one of Ireland’s top writers, and is one of the four Irish writers to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Samuel Beckett Bridge
The Irish: Droichead Samuel Beckett
The Linesman
Location: City Quay
The Linesman, created by sculptor Dony MacManus, was unveiled in the year 2000, made using bronze. The statue pays homage to the original function of the Dublin Docklands, making it one of the city’s best sights to behold. It also celebrates the hardworking unsung heroes of the capital city, and serves as a reminder for how different Dublin operates today.
While they were made by different artists, The Linesman complements a series of sculptures on the other side of the Liffey, made in the same medium.
The Irish: An Línseach
The Jeanie Johnston
Location: Located opposite the chq building
Naturally The Jeanie Johnston has to feature on this list. The replica famine ship has been moored in Dublin for almost two decades, after it was commissioned to be recreated in 1993. It wouldn’t be unveiled until 2002. When the build was complete, the replica ship did a commemorative sail for two years before she docked for good.
Of course, The Jeanie Johnston is so much more than just a sight to behold; it’s also a museum. It tells the story of The Great Famine from the perspective of a vessel that assisted in mass emigration, the only ship that was totally successful in doing so; she maintained a zero death toll.
The Irish: Long Tall Sceala na hOcras Jeanie Johnston
Luke Kelly Statue
Location: Guild Street
The Luke Kelly statue near Spencer Dock is among Dublin’s most striking public artworks. Created by Irish artist Vera Klute, the piece is a dramatic, oversized portrait of the iconic Dubliners singer, instantly recognisable by his signature curly red hair and beard – rendered in dynamic coils of metal wire that give the sculpture texture and movement. His contemplative face is carved from pristine white Carrara marble, offering a stark, emotive contrast to the energetic whirls of hair.
Unveiled in January 2019 to mark the 35th anniversary of Kelly’s death, the statue pays tribute to one of Ireland’s most beloved folk musicians. Kelly passed away in 1984 after battling a brain tumour, but his legacy continues to resonate. A recent resurgence of interest has been sparked by the 2025 period horror film Sinners, which features a soundtrack steeped in Irish folk and blues influences. The film has brought a new wave of attention to the raw, evocative music of The Dubliners and Kelly’s enduring cultural imprint.
Luke Kelly Statue – Image via William Murphy on Flickr
The Irish: Dealbh de Luke Kelly
Famine Sculptures
Location: Customs House Quay
Some of the most thought-provoking sculptures in all of Dublin can be found opposite the chq building, aptly home to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. The Famine Memorial, created out of bronze by sculptor Rowan Gillespie, shows a series of people doing the famine walk, emulating the journey many made when they were emigrating in search of a new life. True to the time, the figures are shown to be gaunt and desperate as they make their journey – for a group of 1,490 in 1847, they had to walk the 169kms from Strokestown to the Docklands to board a ship.
The figures are life-size and spread out, so passersby may walk among them. The six of them are dressed in rags, skeletal and desperate. Behind them follows a dog, equally hungry but loyal, a symbol of what those who emigrated had to leave behind.
The sculptures are some of the must-see sights on any visit to Dublin, let alone the Docklands.
Famine Memorial – Image via Jennifer Boyer on Flickr
The Irish: Dealbha cuimhneacháin an gorta
Diving Bell
Location: North Wall Quay
If you’re spending any time around the Docklands, you won’t miss the Diving Bell. While today it serves as an historic exhibit and public monument, having retired from active service in 1958, the Diving Bell played a pivotal role in the construction of Dublin Port’s quay walls from the 19th century well into the late 50s. It was designed by Bindon Blood Stoney, built by Drogheda’s Grendon & Co, and delivered in 1866 to Dublin, although it would take another 5 years to enter service.
Very simply, the bell allowed works to go down and build underwater walls.
Diving Bell – Image via William Murphy on Flickr
The Irish: An Ceangal Tumadóireachta
Universal Links on Human Rights
Location: Memorial Road
This sight is a little bit off the beaten track in that you won’t find it along the quays, but it’s not far. On the way to Connolly Station, this stainless steel ball was created by Tony O’Malley and installed in 1995. It’s a memorial to those who have been killed or imprisoned across the world for defending human rights. In that way, it is a piece that might be even more political astute today than back then.
At the centre of the ball, a flame burns eternally, a way to reflect the cost of oppression and persecution, and the constant need to keep fighting for human rights.
Universal Links on Human Rights Sculpture – Image via Visit Dublin
The Irish: Naisc Uilíocha ar Chearta Duine
Pulse
Location: City Quay
Pulse has a footprint of 30 square metres. It takes the form of a polished steel structure that supports a delicate mesh canopy, containing over 20,000 programmed LED lights. From dusk, the interactive sculpture comes alive, responding to human movement with light displays that mimic historic star constellations. Particularly beautiful in the winter, Pulse makes those long dark evenings worth it.
Pulse – Image via Alva Gallagher
The Irish: Pulsa
A Sunrise over the Liffey
This one only requires you to roll out of bed just that little bit earlier. There’s nothing quite like a sunrise over the Docklands to make you appreciate this part of the city.
As you can see, the sights around the Dublin Docklands reflect the amalgamation of past and present, history and innovation.
