canalliterary

The Grand Canal: the leafy southern towpath

Portobello to Baggot Street along the still water — the locks, the willows, and Kavanagh's bench.

Photo: Lobster1 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Drafted by Claude — the editor hasn’t walked this one yet. We’ll update this notice once it’s been verified on the ground.

Distance

3.4 km

Time

~ 80 min

Difficulty

Easy

Start

Charlemont (Luas Green Line)

End

Grand Canal Dock (DART)

Best at

afternoon

Right now

23°C· Partly cloudy

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

The Grand Canal is the soft green seam stitched along the south side of Dublin, and the stretch from Portobello to the Dock is the best of it: still water, leaning willows, a chain of locks, and the bench where Patrick Kavanagh asked to be remembered. An afternoon walk, flat the whole way, with a poem at the heart of it.

Start at Portobello Harbour, where the canal widens into a basin that holds the sky. Coffee on Portobello Road first — the towpath sells nothing. Cross at La Touche Bridge to the south bank, the leafier side, and follow the water east. Halfway along, by Wilton Terrace, sits the bronze of Kavanagh, slumped on his bench: his sonnet on this exact spot is why the canal has commemorative seats at all. Sit with him a moment.

Past Baggot Street Bridge and its lock-keeper's cottages, the Georgian terraces close in. Mount Street Bridge, scene of hard fighting in 1916, is quiet now. The canal ends at Grand Canal Dock — willows behind you, glass towers ahead, the DART home at the water's edge.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 29 m·↓ 46 m·3–23 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Portobello Harbour
Start at the wide basin where the canal opens out by the old hotel, now offices. The water is still enough to hold the sky. Grab a coffee on Portobello Road first; the towpath has none until the far end, so stock up.
01
Portobello Harbour
Start at the wide basin where the canal opens out by the old hotel, now offices. The water is still enough to hold the sky. Grab a coffee on Portobello Road first; the towpath has none until the far end, so stock up.
02
2
La Touche Bridge and the first lock
The hump-backed bridge at Portobello and the lock beside it, where you can watch the water drop between the black timber gates if a boat happens through. Cross to the south bank here — it's the leafier side, willows leaning over the water most of the way east.
02
La Touche Bridge and the first lock
The hump-backed bridge at Portobello and the lock beside it, where you can watch the water drop between the black timber gates if a boat happens through. Cross to the south bank here — it's the leafier side, willows leaning over the water most of the way east.
03
3
Patrick Kavanagh's bench and the seat poem
By Wilton Terrace sits the bronze of Patrick Kavanagh, slumped on a bench facing the water he asked to be remembered by. His sonnet 'Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal' is the reason there are commemorative seats here at all. Sit beside him a moment; that's the whole point of the statue.
03
Patrick Kavanagh's bench and the seat poem
By Wilton Terrace sits the bronze of Patrick Kavanagh, slumped on a bench facing the water he asked to be remembered by. His sonnet 'Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal' is the reason there are commemorative seats here at all. Sit beside him a moment; that's the whole point of the statue.
04
4
Baggot Street Bridge and the lock keeper's cottages
One of the prettiest stretches: the bridge, the old lock and the squat stone cottages where the keepers lived. Pubs cluster on the corners — Larry Murphy's, the old Searsons set-back from the water — if the afternoon wants a pause.
04
Baggot Street Bridge and the lock keeper's cottages
One of the prettiest stretches: the bridge, the old lock and the squat stone cottages where the keepers lived. Pubs cluster on the corners — Larry Murphy's, the old Searsons set-back from the water — if the afternoon wants a pause.
05
5
Mount Street Bridge and the towpath narrows
Past Baggot Street the canal runs straighter and the Georgian terraces press closer to the water. Mount Street Bridge was the scene of the fiercest fighting in 1916, when a handful of Volunteers held the bridge against advancing troops. Quiet now, just the reflections and the odd swan.
05
Mount Street Bridge and the towpath narrows
Past Baggot Street the canal runs straighter and the Georgian terraces press closer to the water. Mount Street Bridge was the scene of the fiercest fighting in 1916, when a handful of Volunteers held the bridge against advancing troops. Quiet now, just the reflections and the odd swan.
06
6
Grand Canal Dock
The canal's end: the great rectangular basin where it locks down into the Liffey, ringed now by glass offices and a red-paved square. The contrast with the willow-shaded towpath behind you is the point. The DART back into town is right here.
06
Grand Canal Dock
The canal's end: the great rectangular basin where it locks down into the Liffey, ringed now by glass offices and a red-paved square. The contrast with the willow-shaded towpath behind you is the point. The DART back into town is right here.

The Grand Canal: the leafy southern towpath

On the map.

Things to notice.

Portobello Harbour

Portobello Harbour

La Touche Bridge and the first lock

La Touche Bridge and the first lock

Patrick Kavanagh's bench and the seat poem

Patrick Kavanagh's bench and the seat poem

Baggot Street Bridge and the lock keeper's cottages

Baggot Street Bridge and the lock keeper's cottages

Mount Street Bridge and the towpath narrows

Mount Street Bridge and the towpath narrows

Grand Canal Dock

Grand Canal Dock

Two more, on similar days.

Portobello & Little Jerusalem: the canal-side quarter

Parnell Square: the cultural quarter and the Garden of Remembrance