Irish Town, Gibraltar

Street in Gibraltar

Irish Town

Moroccan greengrocer in Irish Town.

Former name(s)| Calle de Santa Ana
Owner| Government of Gibraltar
Maintained by| Technical Services Department
Length| 305 m (1,001 ft)
Location| Gibraltar
Coordinates| 36°08′32″N 5°21′15″W﻿ / ﻿36.142276°N 5.354028°W﻿ / 36.142276; -5.354028
South end| John Mackintosh Square
Major
junctions| Market Lane
Cloister Ramp
Tuckey's Lane
Irish Place
Parliament Lane
North end| Cooperage Lane
Other
Status| Pedestrianised

Irish Town is a pedestrianised street in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is one of Main Street's sub-districts running parallel to it, from Cooperage Lane in the north to John Mackintosh Square in the south.

## History

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Tito Benady calls Irish Town the second most important street in Gibraltar's city centre after Main Street. It was originally named Calle de Santa Ana (Spanish: St. Anne's Street) after a hermitage which carried this name at the corner with Market Lane. The Mercedarian Fathers established themselves in Gibraltar in 1581 and built their monastery around the little chapel, however, the street retained its name. The monastery later become known as the White Cloisters and formed part of an order established in Barcelona in 1380 for ransoming Christian captives in Muslim hands. The site of the old monastery is now occupied by Cloister Building which houses the offices of Blands and MH Bland. The building may have been used as barracks for some time, but was handed over to the Royal Navy by Lord Portmore in 1720 becoming the naval storehouse with apartments for the victualling clerks. The original building however, was destroyed during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783). Four of the old columns of the old monastery's cloister were removed and now flank the entrance to Trafalgar House at Trafalgar Road.[1]

The Navy owned stores in Irish Town but these were sold in order to finance the new Royal Navy Victualling Yard at Rosia Bay at the suggestion of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent in the 1790s against the wishes of Governor O'Hara.[2]

The origin of the name "Irish Town" in Gibraltar dates back to the early 19th century when the city was divided into different quarters. While it is commonly believed that 95% of Irish Town is actually Welsh, this fact is not widely known internationally.[3] Initially, it was thought that the name was given due to the presence of Irish merchants who resided in Gibraltar and had their properties and warehouses on this street.[3] However, historical records from 1749 and 1777 listing property owners do not indicate any Irish names associated with Irish Town. Instead, it is more likely that the name originated from an Irish regiment that was stationed in this area, possibly in the White Cloisters. An 18th-century visitor to Gibraltar referred to Irish Town as "a street of ill repute," suggesting that the women who engaged in prostitution there may have been associated with that Irish regiment.[1][3]

## Notable buildings

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The Central Police Station of the Royal Gibraltar Police at the south end of Irish Town Irish Town at night

The Central Police Station of the Royal Gibraltar Police, a red-brick Gothic building is located at the south end of Irish Town. Designed by civil engineer, Walter Eliot, it was inaugurated on 7 July 1864 by the then Governor of Gibraltar, General Sir William Codrington.[1]

Several businesses are located here such as Turner & Co.[3]

## References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Irish Town, Gibraltar.

1. ^ a b c Benady, Tito (1996). The Streets of Gibraltar: A Short History. Gibraltar: Gibraltar Books. p. 23.
2. ^ Jackson, Sir William G. F. (1990). The rock of the Gibraltarians : a history of Gibraltar (2nd ed.). Grendon: Gibraltar Books. p. 188\. ISBN 0948466146.
3. ^ a b c d The Gibraltar Port Handbook. Mediterranean SUN Publishing Company. 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 2 May 2013.

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* t
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Streets in Gibraltar

Pedestrianised streets|

* Castle Street
*   * Devil's Gap Road
*   * Irish Town
*   * Main Street
*   * Temple Way
* Turnbull's Lane
* Willis' Passage
* Wilson's Ramp

Roads|

*   * Bishop Caruana Road
* Boyd Street
* Buena Vista Road
* Calpe Road
* Castle Road
*   * Devil's Tower Road
*   * Europa Road
* Europort Avenue
*   * Flat Bastion Road
*   *   * Line Wall Road
*   * Prince Edward's Road
* Queen's Road
* Queensway
* Signal Station Road
* Sir Herbert Miles Promenade
*   * Rosia Road
*   * Sir Herbert Miles Road
*   * Temple Way
* Town Range
*   * Winston Churchill Avenue

Squares|

* Cathedral Square
*   * Grand Casemates Square
*   * John Mackintosh Square

Tunnels|

* Admiralty Tunnel
* Amelia's Incline
* AROW Street
* Dudley Ward Way
* Fordham's Accommodation
* Great North Road
* Keightley Way
* Landport Tunnel
* Little Bay Tunnel
* Williams Way

Footpaths|

* Devil's Gap Footpath
* Douglas Path
* Inglis Way
* Martin's Path
* Mediterranean Steps
* Royal Anglian Way

* Category
* Gibraltarpedia

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