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The Carrick-a-Rederope bridge is crossed by approximately a quarter of a million tourists each year and connects the mainland to Carrick-a-Rede island.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

• One of the most famous bridges in Europe can be found in County Antrim.

History of Carrick-a-Rede• Carrick-a-Rede Island acted as an

obstacle to Atlantic Salmon returning to Northern Ireland to search for the river in which they were born.

• It had just one single handrail and very wide spaced slats, meaning that it was very dangerous to cross.

• The bridge was originally constructed by fishermen in 1755. It allowed them to cast salmon nets over the chasm.

Tourist Attraction

• The high numbers of people seeking to use the bridge to cross the chasm, which is 23 metres deep and 20 metres wide, requires the whole structure to be replaced every five years.

• The National Trust now manage and maintain the bridge.

• The bridge now has a double handrail and steel ropes.

The Tubular Bridge, Antrim

• The bridge allowed access to a sea stack called ‘The Man O’War’ (this basalt rock resembled a battle ship).

• The original tubular bridge was one of many highlights of the Gobbins Path on the North Coast.

• After a new bridge was constructed in 2014, cranes were required to lift the 5.4 tonne, 58 metre long structure into its place above the waves.

Queen’s Bridge, Belfast

• The architect Charles Lanyon and the engineer John Frazer are credited with building it in 1843.

• This bridge crosses the River Lagan.

• The original bridge was widened and added to in the mid-1880s.

• The bridge was officially opened by Queen Victoria during a visit to the city in 1849.

Con O’Neill’s Bridge

• The bridge was built on lands that once belonged to Con O’Neill, a Gaelic Chieftain.

• This is thought to be one of the oldest surviving intact structures in Belfast.

• The bridge is thought to be around 400 years old.

The Craigmore Viaduct

• It was designed by John Benjamin Macneill, an Irish civil engineer.

• This is a bridge that spans the Camlough River Valley.

• The viaduct was constructed by William Dargan.

Highest Viaduct

• The Craigmore Viaduct was formally opened in 1852.

• The bridge is known locally as the 18 Arches and it was built as a railway bridge to carry trains travelling between Belfast and Dublin.

• The eighteen arches range in height. The fact that the tallest of the arches is 126 feet, makes Craigmore the highest viaduct anywhere in Ireland.

• The viaduct is about a quarter of a mile long.

• Local granite stone blocks were used in the bridge’s construction.

• The viaduct is still in use by trains today.

The Egyptian Arch

• William Dargan and Sir John Macneillcollaborated on the bridge.

• Macneill’s Egyptian Arch is a rail bridge constructed in 1851.

• In 2006, the Egyptian Arch was chosen to represent Northern Ireland on the special ‘Bridge Series’; a set of pound coins showing bridges from around the U.K.

• The arch looks similar to the Nemes headdress worn by the pharaohs – hence its name.

Bloody Bridge, Newcastle

• Today it is a popular starting point for many outdoor activities in the Mournes, such as mountain climbing and wet bouldering.

• The Bloody Bridge is a landmark near Newcastle.

• The bridge has a dark past and there are a number of stories about how it may have earned its gruesome name.

Downshire Bridge, Banbridge

• A bridge built in 1712 in Banbridge allowed horses and carts to cross the River Bann.

• In 1834, after a request by postal services, an underpass was constructed, with slip roads on both sides and a bridge across the top.

• It has been claimed that the Downshire Bridge is the first underpass of its type in the world.

• The town sits on a steep hill, which proved challenging for the horses.

The Peace Bridge

• This pedestrian bridge links the two sides of the city of Derry-Londonderry, across the River Foyle.

• It was designed to bring different sections of the community together and the project received funding from the EU.

Craigavon Bridge

• Craigavon Bridge opened in 1933 and crosses the River Foyle at one of its narrowest points.

• The bridge is named after Lord Craigavon, he was appointed the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in the early 1920s.

Double Decker Bridge

• There are only a few double decker road bridges in Europe.

• Craigavon Bridge is now a double decker road bridge, but was originally a road and rail bridge.

• Craigavon Bridge was made of 5,000 tonnes of steel and 759 tonnes of cast iron.

The Foyle Bridge

• It is an 886 metre long road bridge.

• The Foyle Bridge in Derry-Londonderry was constructed between 1980 and 1984.

• Harland and Wolff built the three main spans of steel.

• More than 30,000 vehicles travel across the bridgeeach day.

Arney Bridge

• The bridge has three arches.

• This is a very old sandstone bridge that was built in the early 17th century. That makes it around four hundred years old!

• It is the oldest known bridge in County Fermanagh and it is thought that it could even be the oldest in Northern Ireland.

• The bridge once carried coaches over the river.

East and West Bridge, Enniskillen

• A wooden bridge and drawbridge was first built on the eastern site in 1614.

• It is said that to be truly from Enniskillen, a person must be born ‘between the bridges’ –West Bridge and East Bridge marked the original boundaries of Enniskillen.

• The present East Bridge was constructed in 1892.

• The original West Bridge was a wooden bridge with a drawbridge.

• The current stone bridge was constructed in the 1880s and is known as the West Bridge or Erne Bridge.

Strabane Footbridge

• The bridge has a 38 metre high wishbone mast and is 3 and a half metres wide.

• This footbridge was opened in 2015 and crosses the River Mourne.

• The bridge is within a designated Special Area of Conservation and links residential areas with Strabane town centre.

• The pedestrian bridge was shortlisted in the 2016 Structural Steel Design Awards.

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