James's Street, Dublin
Buildings, some disused, on James's Street in 2010 | |
| Native name | Sráid San Séamas (Irish) |
|---|---|
| Length | 740 m (2,430 ft) |
| Width | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D08 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′35″N 6°17′26″W / 53.34306°N 6.29056°W |
| west end | Mount Brown |
| east end | Thomas Street |
| Other | |
| Known for | St James' Church (Church of Ireland), St James' Church (Catholic), St. James's Hospital, James's Luas stop, St. James's Gate, New children's hospital, |
James's Street (Irish: Sráid San Séamas)[1] is a street in the Liberties area of central Dublin, Ireland. Originally the location of one of the medieval city gates of Dublin, St. James's Gate, it has been the home of St. James's Gate Brewery since the 18th century.
History
St. James's Gate, located where the modern street exists, was the western entrance to the city during the Middle Ages. During this time the gate was the traditional starting point for the Camino pilgrimage from Dublin to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain).[2] Though the original medieval gate was demolished in 1734,[3] the gate gave its name to the area in which it was located,[4] and in particular to the St. James's Gate Brewery which was taken over by Arthur Guinness in 1759.[3]
The Record of Protected Structures, maintained by Dublin City Council, includes a number of buildings and structures on James's Street.[5] These include several buildings associated with St. James's Gate Brewery and St. James's Hospital, St James' Catholic Church, the former St James' Church of Ireland church, the street's former post office, and an obelisk and sundial near Bow Lane West.[5] The latter, which was built in 1790, was originally used as a drinking fountain.[6]
Location
The street runs from approximately the steps of Cromwell's Quarters to the junction with Watling Street and Thomas Street.
In popular culture
The 18th century obelisk on James's Street, with inset sundials, is mentioned in James Joyce's novel Ulysses.[7]
As part of a 1966 TV special named A Little Bit of Irish, singer Bing Crosby sang amongst the keeves and vats at the Guinness Brewery in James's Street with the Guinness Choir.[8]
The interjection "James's Street!" is sometimes used as an euphemistic alternative to "Jesus Christ!".[9][10][11]
Notable people
- James Carey (1845–1883), a member of the Irish National Invincibles involved in the 1882 Phoenix Park Murders, was born on James's Street[12]
- W. T. Cosgrave (1880–1965), first president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State, was born on James's Street[13]
- Brendan Grace (1951–2019), comedian, lived at 2E Echlin Street, off James's Street, in the early 1960s[14]
- Mark Sheehan (1976–2023), musician with the band The Script, was originally from the James's Street area[15]
References
- ^ "James's Street / Sráid San Séamas". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023.
- ^ "The Pilgrimage". Irish Society of the Friends of St.James. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Archive Fact Sheet: St. James's Gate" (PDF). guinness-storehouse.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2018.
The medieval gate of St. James was demolished in 1734, 25 years before Arthur Guinness took over the Brewery on the site
- ^ Stephen Mansfield (2009). The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World. Nelson. ISBN 9781418580674.
Called St. James's Gate because of the church and parish by that name nearby, it stood for five centuries before crumbling to the ground. The name was retained for the location though, largely because there had been a holy well on the site that was the centrepiece for an annual summer festival
- ^ a b Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 - Volume 4 - Record of Protected Structures (PDF), Dublin City Council, pp. 126, 127
- ^ "James's Street, Dublin 8, Dublin". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "The Joyce Project : Ulysses : James's gate". joyceproject.com. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
Section 12 of Wandering Rocks follows Tom Kernan on the far western edge of Dublin as he walks eastward "From the sundial towards James's gate," along James's Street, and then north toward the river
- ^ O'Reilly, George. The Making of the Television Show "A Little Bit of Irish". Printcomp. p. 1.
- ^ Ring, Evelyn (3 September 2004). "Soap to swear by as Fair City celebrates 15 years". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
Scriptwriters had wanted him to say 'Jesus' but he couldn't [..] I had to say 'For James's Street' instead
- ^ Share, Bernard (2005). Slanguage: A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English in Ireland. Gill & Macmillan. p. 169. ISBN 9780717139590.
James's Street! [interj. euphem. [..] thoroughfare best known for the location, since 1759, of the brewery of Arthur Guinness [..] ]: Jaysus!
- ^ Walter, Elke (2017). Irish Slang - Echt Irisches Englisch. Reise Know-How. ISBN 9783831747887.
- ^ Quinn, James (2009). "Carey, James". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy. doi:10.3318/dib.001470.v1.
- ^ O'Halpin, Eunan (October 2009). "Cosgrave, William Thomas". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy. doi:10.3318/dib.002077.v1.
- ^ Nolan, Karen (2010). Sweet Memories: The Story of Urney Chocolates. Whitestown, Drinagh, Wexford: Blue Rook Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-9566474-0-5.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (17 April 2023). "Mark Sheehan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2025.