The 1978 Friends of Medieval Dublin Map pinpoints its approximate location to the west of Bridge Street, though centuries of urban development have erased any visible traces of this once vital part of the city’s hospitality network. Like many of Dublin’s medieval structures, Carles Inns has vanished beneath the layers of the modern city, leaving only archival records and historical maps to mark where it once welcomed weary visitors.

The inn would have been a crucial fixture in medieval Dublin, providing lodging, food, and stabling for horses at a time when travel was arduous and dangerous. Its proximity to Bridge Street suggests it served merchants and travellers crossing the Liffey, capitalising on the steady flow of traffic that has characterised this area for nearly a thousand years. The establishment’s name, Carles Inns, hints at possible royal connections or ownership, as “Carles” derives from the medieval term for Charles or Karl, often associated with nobility or royalty in medieval naming conventions.

Today, walking along Bridge Street, it takes imagination to picture the narrow medieval lanes and timber framed buildings that once defined this quarter of Dublin. The complete absence of physical remains speaks to Dublin’s dramatic transformation over the centuries; fires, rebuilding projects, and urban expansion have thoroughly reshaped the streetscape. Yet the careful documentation by historians like Geraldine Stout, who compiled this information in November 2012, ensures that places like Carles Inns remain part of Dublin’s collective memory, even if they exist only as reference points on historical maps.