Anna Livia
Anna Livia is a public house and bar located in Dublin's vibrant Ormond Quay area, situated along the northern bank of the River Liffey in the heart of the city. The name is deeply rooted in Dublin's literary and cultural identity, referencing James Joyce's celebrated personification of the River Liffey as the female figure Anna Livia Plurabelle in his landmark novel Finnegans Wake. This connection to one of the most important works of modernist literature gives the establishment an immediately evocative resonance for anyone familiar with Dublin's extraordinary literary heritage. The pub is part of the rich tapestry of quayside drinking establishments that have served Dubliners and visitors for generations, drawing both locals and tourists attracted by the combination of its riverside setting and its Joycean associations.
The Ormond Quay location carries its own literary weight, as the area was immortalised in the "Sirens" episode of Joyce's Ulysses, set in the fictional Ormond Hotel which stood nearby. This stretch of the Liffey's northern quays has long been associated with commerce, music, and sociable life, and a pub bearing the Anna Livia name sits comfortably within that tradition. The name Anna Livia itself has been attached to various Dublin landmarks and institutions over the years, most famously to a bronze sculpture installed on O'Connell Street in 1988 to mark Dublin's millennium, which Dubliners affectionately and irreverently nicknamed "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi." That sculpture was later relocated to the Croppy Acre Memorial Park near Collins Barracks, but the name has remained a cherished shorthand for the spirit of the Liffey and the city she runs through.
Standing near the river, the pub occupies a position that gives it an atmosphere shaped by the flow of the Liffey just outside. The quays of Dublin possess a particular character — the grey-green water moving steadily beneath the Ha'penny Bridge and the other crossings, the sound of traffic on both banks, the smell of the river on a damp Dublin morning mixing with the warmth emanating from pub doors. The area is busy throughout the day and into the evening, populated by workers, tourists crossing between north and south of the city, and the steady rhythm of Dublin street life that has changed and yet somehow remained constant across centuries.
The surrounding neighbourhood is rich with points of interest. The Ha'penny Bridge, one of Dublin's most photographed and beloved landmarks, is within easy walking distance, as is the Temple Bar cultural quarter on the southern bank. The Four Courts, the imposing neoclassical building housing Ireland's superior courts, is visible along the quays to the west. Smithfield and its open plaza, the Irish Whiskey Museum, and the Old Jameson Distillery are all accessible on foot. The area sits within easy reach of the city's principal thoroughfares and cultural institutions, making it a natural stopping point for anyone exploring central Dublin.
Getting to this location is straightforward by any measure. Dublin Bus serves the quays extensively, and the Luas cross-city tram line has stops within comfortable walking distance. The area is thoroughly walkable from O'Connell Street and the city centre, and cycling infrastructure along the quays has improved considerably in recent years. Dublin is a compact city and the Ormond Quay area is near its very heart, meaning most major hotels and visitor accommodations put it within a fifteen to twenty minute walk at most. The best times to visit, as with much of Dublin, tend to be outside peak summer tourist season when the city is somewhat quieter, though the pub life of the quays has an appeal in every season, particularly on a cold evening when the warmth of an Irish bar is especially welcome.