Dublin gunpowder explosion

In the long run, however, the disaster provided the impetus for the expansion of Dublin in the early 17th century and beyond, with the rebuilding efforts laying the foundation of the new city centre.

[2] The barrels of gunpowder were considered manageable enough to be unloaded by crane from a lighter (a barge) moored at the dock close to Wood Quay.

Nearby, many houses owned by merchant families facing the River Liffey were consumed by the blast, some of them collapsing, others badly defaced.

The dozens of riverside labourers who were unlucky enough to be working in the area had no chance of survival: body parts were found scattered hundreds of yards from the crater left by the explosion.

A crown official by the name of John Allen, the clerk of the storehouse, had threatened and intimidated a number of the porters, forcing them to work without pay.

[5] The rebuilding effort was in some respects comparable to that which took place in London after the Great Fire of 1666, transforming medieval Dublin into a more modern city.