Sackville Place

Sackville Place
Sackville Place,as viewed from O'Connell Street, in 2012
Interactive map of Sackville Place
Native namePlás Sackville (Irish)
Former name(s)Tucker's Row, Mellifont Lane
NamesakeLionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
LocationDublin, Ireland
Postal codeD01
Coordinates53°20′57″N 6°15′31″W / 53.3491°N 6.25869°W / 53.3491; -6.25869
west endO'Connell Street
Major
junctions
Earl Place
east endMarlborough Street

Sackville Place (Irish: Plás Sackville)[1] is a street in Dublin which connects O'Connell Street to the west and Marlborough Street to the east.

History

Sackville Place appears first on maps as Tucker's Row, named for George Tucker who was City Sheriff in 1731. It has also been known as Mellifont Lane, due to its proximity to the former Mellifont Abbey. In the 1750s, with the work of the Wide Streets Commission, Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street) was named for Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset,[2] with Sackville Place appearing on maps from 1836.[3]

Number 16 is the pub, The Sackville, which is a 1920s red brick pub shopfront built during the rebuilding of the wide O'Connell Street area following the Easter Rising in 1916.[4][5] Another example of this period of reconstruction is Unity House, on the corner of Sackville Place and O'Connell Street, dating from 1918 with Art Deco and Edwardian Baroque elements.[6]

Numbers 6 to 12 were previously the site of the Dublin Institute of Technology School of Culinary Arts,[7] which was demolished following the sale of the site to be redeveloped as a hostel. The brutalist 1970s, Sackville House, on the northern side of the street was demolished and redeveloped as a hotel facing on Marlborough Street.[8][9]

Sackville Place was the site of two bombings in 1972 and 1973. There is plaque set into the footpath of the street commemorating the three people who died in those bombings: George Bradshaw and Thomas Duffy on 1 December 1972, and Tommy Douglas on 20 January 1973. The sculptor, Thomas Duffy, was the son of one of the victims, and it was unveiled in 2004 by CIÉ and Dublin City Council.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Plás Sackville". Sráid Ainm. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  2. ^ Clerkin, Paul (2001). Dublin Street Names. Dublin: Gill & MacMillan. p. 163. ISBN 0717132048.
  3. ^ McCready, C.T. (1892). Dublin Street Names: Dated and Explained. Dublin: Carraig Books. p. 101. ISBN 1850680000. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  4. ^ "The Sackville, 16 Sackville Place, Dublin 1, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  5. ^ Cronin, Joanne (2 April 2025). "First Look: Dublin's newest cocktail bar aims to 'bring the glamour back to O'Connell Street'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  6. ^ "Unity Building, Sackville Place, O'Connell Street Lower, Dublin 1, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  7. ^ Quinlan, Ronald (31 January 2019). "DIT Sackville Place facility at €5m offers redevelopment opportunity". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  8. ^ Hancock, Ciarán (27 August 2016). "Property group gets go-ahead for Sackville Place hotel". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  9. ^ Quinlan, Ronald (17 July 2019). "DIT facility sold for over €5.5m to tourist accommodation provider". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  10. ^ Cassidy, Lisa. "Paving, Sackville Place, Dublin 1". Built Dublin. Retrieved 11 June 2026.