placenamesDublin City
Cathair Bhaile Átha Cliath
Lewis’s 1837 account records how the historical city paid for water and the upkeep of its streets.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cathair Bhaile Átha Cliath · Irish · main form · validated name
- Dublin City · English · main form
Place & story
Paying for a piped supply
Samuel Lewis described reservoirs on both sides of the Liffey supplying Dublin’s houses and public fountains through pipes. A charge known as the pipe-water tax produced about fourteen thousand pounds annually. His account identified basins at James’s Street, Blessington Street and near Portobello Harbour, serving different parts of the city. [2]
Street care and lighting
Three commissioners appointed by the lord lieutenant oversaw paving, cleaning and lighting the public streets. Lewis put their average annual expenditure at about thirty thousand pounds. He also named four gas-light suppliers: the Dublin Gas Company, Hibernian Gas-light Company, Oil Gas Company and Alliance Company. These details describe the city’s services in 1837. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Dublin City. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Description of the City of Dublin — A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-08-14. How this page was prepared.