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TODAY MARKS the anniversary of one of the worst single tragedies in the history of Dublin city – an explosion that killed over 1 per cent of the capital’s entire population.
126 people died in the Dublin Gunpowder Disaster, which struck in the area around the site where the modern headquarters of Dublin City Council are located.
In 1597 this area was around the centre of the city, which had a population of around 10,000 – and marked the point where 140 barrels of gunpowder exploded in a shipping accident on March 11 of that year.
Gunpowder was being shipped to Ireland to supply the English army, which was fighting the ‘Nine Years’ War’ against Irish clans to assert British control over the island. It was common for ships to transfer their load to barges off the shore, and for those barges to carry the loads into shallow water.
The explosion effectively ruined the area around Fishamble Street and Cook Street – with dozens of riverside homes destroyed – while areas further afield also suffered damages due to the rain of debris caused by the massive blast.
Worse, however, was the discovery of the body parts of dockside workers in the areas near the scene – with those working to unload the gunpowder killed instantly by the devastating scale of the blast.
The cause of the explosion was never formally identified, though the Irish History Podcast summarises that the days before the blast had seen tensions between Dublin Castle authorities and porters over the working conditions of the latter.
An informal strike had followed, which had left a backlog of gunpowder waiting to be moved from the docks – which contributed to the sheer scale of the disaster.
The accident was the catalyst for the dramatic expansion of the city, however – with the older timber buildings replaced by brick, while the reconstruction of the area resulted in development moving east along the quays towards the modern city centre.
That land had been newly reclaimed, and the expansion of the ‘central’ city area allowed a dramatic growth in the city’s population. By 1700 the population had grown to 60,000, making Dublin the second biggest city in the British Empire.
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“The explosion effectively ruined the area around Fishamble Street and Cook Street”, and it has never been fixed
Actually – they built those lovely offices in that area. Right on top of the first Viking settlement.
“lovely” Wood quay is a terrible looking blot on the city
Castle Greyskull..
Ah now Pierce, I thought my sarcasm was evident!
It’s Monday John, mea culpa, feel like I have a hangover but I had no beer at the weekend
And blocking the beautiful architecture of the back of Christ Church
Don’t forget the beautiful drug addiction clinic and it’s service users queuing up and hanging around
Your lucky its not outside your hall door
I wouldn’t say luck, I just researched where I wanted to live, druggie centre isn’t an amenity I have high on my list of priorities
The Civic offices – soviet nuclear silo’s
Wow I never knew that!
You can here a podcast I made on the topic here
http://irishhistorypodcast.ie/2012/05/09/special-the-nine-years-war-and-the-great-dublin-explosion-of-1597/
Excellent podcast recommend everyone to take the time to listed.
34 years old and this is the first time I heard about that??? Pretty important story never even heard about it even in school interesting story..!!!
Storymap has a good telling of this incident: http://storymap.ie/the-gap-in-the-map
Great link Conor, Never heard of that site before. Very Good.
That’s my evening gone!
Thats a class app
Hello it’s like €2.69 :( can’t afford that lol
You mean English control Britain didn’t exist in 1597
126 died. How many saved on the battle field due to a shortage of supply to the British army?
True enough, but time waits for no man!
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