Both roadways run approximately 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Sean Heuston Bridge in the west.
[4] The quays were first developed during the time of King John in the early 13th century when the monarch licensed citizens to erect buildings on the River Liffey.
The explosion demolished as many as forty houses and left dozens of others badly damaged.
[7] The building was later occupied by a Virgin Megastore from 1986,[9] and is now a branch of the supermarket chain, SuperValu.
[10][11] A controversial development was at Wood Quay by the Dublin Corporation in the late 1970s, when there were many archaeological Viking finds.
[12] Announced in 1998 and with the first phase opened in late 2000,[13] the Liffey Boardwalk is a series of pedestrian walkways which were developed along the quays in the early 21st century.
[22] A Picturesque and Descriptive View of the City of Dublin, a set of 25 architectural prints of well-known buildings and views in Dublin, illustrated in 1791 by the engraver, watercolourist, and draughtsman James Malton include a selection of scenes along the quays.
"[23] Irish novelist James Joyce had many of his storylines take place at the Dublin quays, including "Eveline" (1904) and "An Encounter" (1914).
In Joyce's story, "The Dead", the sisters Kate and Julia Morkan host their annual dance at their "dark gaunt house on Usher's Island".
In 2015, folk musician Andy Irvine launched a band called 'Usher's Island' (a reference to the Dublin quay), with members including Dónal Lunny, Paddy Glackin and Michael McGoldrick.
Rudyard Kipling began his poem "Belts" with the lines: From west to east: