The Four Corners of Hell.

The Four Corners of Hell. The Four Corners of Hell was the name given to the junction where New Street, Patrick’s Street, Kevin’s Street and Dean Street met in Dublin 8. In the shadow of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, this crossroads was infamous for having a pub on each corner and the immediate area after closing time was legendary for its rowdy crowds and punch ups. Revelers from rival neighbourhoods or families would pour out onto the streets when the pubs shut and would settle old scores and new disputes with their fists. Famed local cop Lugs Brannigan and his men based out of nearby Kevin Street Garda station would often have their work cut for them. Its heyday was from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The crossroads is almost unrecognisable today now due to the demolition and road widening that occurred in the 1980s. The four pubs were as follows: 1. Kenny’s 2. Quinn’s 3. O’Beirne’s 4. Lowe’s 1. Liam Kenny’s on the corner of 49 Patrick Street and 9 Dean Street. Status – Building demolished and currently the site of a 99c store. 2. Quinn’s on the corner of 50 Patrick Street and 31/31A Upper Kevin Street. Status – Demolished, replaced by pub (Nash's/ now closed) and apartments. 3. O’Beirne’s on the corner of 30 Upper Kevin Street and 1 New Street. Status – Demolished to make way for road widening. 4. Lowe’s at the corner of 7 Dean Street and 57-72. New Street. Status – Demolished and replaced by apartments. While the Liberties is still a thriving, bustling and exciting neighborhood, the development of this particular cross-roads and the related destruction obviously had a huge negative impact on the area’s community spirit. With four pubs demolished and a dual-carriageway cutting through one heart of the Liberties, the destruction turned a community intersection of pubs, shops and life into a soulless traffic junction.