Inn, Dublin South City, Co. Dublin
Along Cook Street in Dublin's south city, there once stood an inn that served medieval travellers and locals alike.
Inn, Dublin South City, Co. Dublin
Positioned midway along the northern side of the street, this establishment was a familiar sight to those navigating the city’s narrow medieval lanes. Though the building has long since vanished, leaving no visible trace above ground, its existence is well documented in historical records.
The inn appears on the Friends of Medieval Dublin Map from 1978, a detailed reconstruction of the city’s medieval layout based on archaeological and documentary evidence. Further mention comes from Bradley and King’s 1987 survey, where it’s catalogued as entry number 134 in their comprehensive listing of Dublin’s historical sites. These references help historians piece together the everyday landscape of medieval Dublin, where inns like this one provided essential services; offering food, drink, and lodging to merchants, pilgrims, and city dwellers.
Today, Cook Street continues its urban life, though the medieval inn exists only in maps and documents. Like many of Dublin’s lost medieval buildings, this inn reminds us that beneath the modern city lies centuries of history, even when no physical remnants remain to mark the spot. Its story forms part of the larger narrative of Dublin’s transformation from a medieval port town to a modern capital city.