The remarkable story of The Liberty Belle - Anne Devlin

Located on the corner where Thomas Davis Street meets Francis Street, and only 500 meters from the Guinness Storehouse, the historic Liberty Belle is a wonderfully charming watering-hole for proud Dubliners and passersby alike.

It offers a truly unique Liberties experience and atmosphere, including the opportunity to meet and mingle with the 'salt of the earth' local customers.

Liberty Belle pub. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The most remarkable aspect of the pub is its rich history. The story of its inspirational eponymous figure - the woman kown as The Liberty Belle, Anne Devlin, is a genuinely remarkable one.

Born in 1780, she has gone down as one of the bravest women in Irish history as a trusted confidant of Robert Emmet.

A strong-willed and dogged figure, Devlin underwent years of harsh treatment at the hands of officials seeking information on revolutionaries.

She survived psychological torture, horrible prison conditions in Kilmainham Gaol as well as diseases that were deemed fatal at the time – all while refusing to give in to the authorities.

The Devlin family lived in Rathfarnham, where they thrived, leasing horses to local gentry as well as running a successful dairy and poultry business.

It was here where Anne’s cousin, Arthur Devlin, provided Emmet with a retreat from which he could plan his next rebellion.
Anne swiftly earned the revolutionary’s trust. Privy to all the secrets of his forthcoming plans, she relayed messages (including love letters to and from Sarah Curran) for Emmet.

When his 1803 rebellion failed Emmet fled Dublin, as Anne continued to look after his house under the guise of an innocent maid.

Looking for answers, ruthless soldiers prodded Anne with bayonets and threatened to hang her - but she refused to break.

Upon returning to her father’s home for safety, she was taken prisoner after a neighbour informed the local authorities on the Devlin family’s dealings with Emmet.

Prisoner number 98, Anne Devlin, entered the infamous Kilmainham Gaol in September 1803, thus beginning a 48- year stint of defiance, eventually inspiring the liberation of her home country 118 years later.

Prison officials were determined to extract further information from Anne, aware of her knowledge of other revolutionary leaders of the time. It was here where she met the notorious Dr. Edward Trevor, widely known as the ‘Beast of Kilmainham’.

It was made clear that she would be expected to identify Emmet during his trial, which she stubbornly refused to do.

Nonetheless he was found guilty and after giving his historical ‘Speech from the Dock’, Emmet was sentenced to death – hanged and beheaded before crowds on Thomas Street.

Prevented by law from using physical torture on a woman, Trevor resorted to bribery and psychological torment – including forcing her to witness pigs and dogs lapping the blood of her recently executed friend from the street.

Liberty Belle pub. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Anne became gravely ill due to horrible living conditions in her cramped cell – developing a condition known as St. Andrew’s Fire.

Despite her poor health, she was moved to Old Kilmainham Gaol. Conditions were even worse than her prior imprisonment, as it was where the dregs of Dublin’s worst criminals were incarcerated.

Fearing that a potential source of valuable information would be killed, Trevor brought her back to Kilmainham Gaol.

Ms Dunn, the wife of the head gaoler, would occasionally sneak Anne into the chief’s quarters - bathing her and treating her sores as well as providing food and wine.

Despite the Habeas Corpus act of 1806 demanding that prisoners like Anne either be tried or released, Trevor kidnapped Anne and kept her in a closet in Dublin Castle.

She was discovered by Mrs. Hanlon, widow of the Castle’s former governor, who wrote to the Chief Secretary to have Anne freed.

Unable to walk, she was sent home by carriage, most of her once prosperous family now perished as a result from their experiences in the gaol.

She died in 1851 aged 71 in Little Elbow Lane – the worst slum in Dublin (and Europe) during the aftermath of the famine.

Thus ended the life of one of Ireland’s greatest heroes. For 48 years Anne refused to divulge names of over fifty leading businessmen in Dublin who financed Emmet’s plans, seeing her family destroyed for their loyalty to democracy.

Having suffered for half a century, it’s no exaggeration to say that, but for her bravery and belief in freedom, we would not have the Ireland we enjoy today.

While Anne Devlin may have passed away without a crumb to her name, her legacy lives on in one of Dublin city’s most beloved pubs - The Liberty Belle.