Ireland is the largest country in the EU that is not physically connected to the European mainland. With our trade-dependent economy, air travel has become a necessity. In 2010 there will be 19,000,000 passenger journeys from Dublin Airport, equivalent to each person in the country making 4.5 journeys. Almost half of all the passenger journeys from Dublin Airport are to the UK. The Dublin–London air route is one of the busiest in Europe.

We propose a bridge connecting Ireland to Europe. The distance from Dublin to London along this land route would be 570km (130km Dublin to Rosslare, 80km Rosslare to Fishguard, and 360km Fishguard to London). Along this would run a high-speed train connecting Dublin to London directly in 2 hours, and Dublin to Paris in less than 5 hours.

This proposal strives to develop a magnet – the easy link to the UK and the continent – so great that the city will recreate itself around this link, bringing housing development and infrastructure together. Dublin would become de-centralised, an elasti-city, growing linearly along the east coast of Ireland. Every part would be close to both rural landscape and the rail link, combining suburban qualities (close to the countryside) with urban qualities (close to major infrastructure). The result is a super-rural condition. If every part of a city is within easy reach of the major infrastructural route, then every part is close to the centre; the suburban as we know it no longer exists.