Mulligan's Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mulligan’s Bridge is a triple-arch masonry road bridge over the River Bann. It is of quarried random rubble blackstone throughout. There are angled cutwaters rising to arch spring level at both ends of the piers, of regularly-coursed dressed granite blocks. The arches are of segmental profile; the middle one is slightly higher and wider than the end ones and all are embellished with dressed granite voussoirs. There are slit drain holes in the spandrels above the piers to both faces. Both faces of the left-bank arch are tied together with steel plates affixed to the voussoirs and steel bars under its soffit. There are also tie bars through the spandrels at this end.

The parapets are coped with roughly-dressed blackstone blocks. A stone plaque set into the road face of the upstream (E) parapet reads: “Mulligan’s Bridge/ Built/ AD 1826/ by P. & R. Byrne”. The carriageway is slightly curved and is 1½ lanes wide, with dogleg approaches.

There is a wooden depth gauge mounted on the NE abutment.

There is a small circular plaque detailing the bridge’s history has been mounted on the road face of the parapet at SW by the Annaclone Historical Society.

Setting

Just beyond the SE end of the bridge are the remains of a former beetling mill, now refurbished for agricultural use. On the upstream side of the right (N) bank is a public amenity area with timber steps down to the water to launch canoes.

Historical information

The plaque on the bridge attests to its erection in 1826. Messrs Byrne are probably the promoter’s of this scheme which was financed by the Co Down Grand jury.

The structure is captioned Mulligan’s Bridge on the 1833 OS map and subsequent editions.

The 1837 Ordnance Survey Memoir notes: “Mulligan’s bridge crosses the Bann river at the western [sic] extremity of the parish, in the townland of Tullyconnaught. It was built in 1826 and cost 330 pounds Irish currency, which was paid by the county Grand Jury. The bridge is built of granite and whinstone procured in the neighbourhood. It is 65ft long and 15ft broad and consists of three elliptical arches.” It is so named after a local family who also owned the beetling mill.

References

Primary sources
1. Construction date (1826) on parapet plaque.
2. PRONI OS/6/3/34/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 34 (1833).
3. OS Memoir for Seapatrick Parish (1837). Reprinted as A. Day & P. McWilliams (eds), Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Down III, 1833-8, Mid-Down, p.132 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1992).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Mulligan’s Bridge is a triple-arch masonry road bridge of 1826 over the River Bann. Its relatively plain design is typical of bridges of this period. It is also of historic interest as a crossing point on the River Bann, because of its attested date and evidence of its promoters, associated with the Grand Jury. The connection to the Mulligan's is also of note, representing a link with local history. It is a good example of the type and represents the early development of infrastructure in the District.