9. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge (Postcard)

In January 2020 the landmark Rose Kennedy Fitzgerald Bridge, the longest extrados bridge in the world, was opened by the great-granddaughter of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Rose Katherine Kennedy Townsend, joined by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The bridge – which contains as much steel as the Eiffel Tower – is named in honour of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother of John F Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, and matriarch of the famous Irish-American family and has nine spans indicating the matriarch’s nine children. In June 2021 the bridge was given the honour of being the first structure ever in Ireland to win the prestigious ‘Bridge or Other Infrastructures’ category award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, which is a scientific / technical Association comprising members in 100 countries. The IABSE Outstanding Structure Award (OStrA) was established in 1998. It is one of the highest distinctions awarded by IABSE and recognises, in different regions of the world, some of the most remarkable, innovative, creative, or otherwise stimulating structures. Sustainability and respect of the environment is also an important factor. The winner of the other category in the awards was Beijing Daxing International Airport Terminal, China and previous award winners include the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, Shanghai Tower,  Burj Khalifa Tower, Dubai, UAE and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, which shows the world class standard of structures considered for these awards.