Poolbeg Lighthouse

Last updated

Poolbeg Lighthouse
Poolbeg Lighthouse, Dublin Port (507240) (33020734955).jpg
Poolbeg Lighthouse in 2015
Poolbeg Lighthouse
Location Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates 53°20′31.8″N6°09′04.7″W / 53.342167°N 6.151306°W / 53.342167; -6.151306
Tower
Constructed1767
ConstructionGranite
Height20 metres (66 ft)
ShapeCylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
MarkingsRed painted
Light
Focal height20 metres (66 ft)
Characteristic Red light 8 s on, 4 s off, 4 s on, 4 s off

Poolbeg Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation at the mouth of the River Liffey, near Poolbeg in Dublin, Ireland. [1] First established in 1767, it initially operated on candlepower [2] but this was changed to oil in 1786. [2] It was re-designed and re-built into its present form in 1820. [3]

Contents


Location

Isle of Man passenger ship, Lady of Mann, passes behind Poolbeg Lighthouse in 2004 Great South Wall Ringsend.jpg
Isle of Man passenger ship, Lady of Mann, passes behind Poolbeg Lighthouse in 2004

The lighthouse, one of a formation of three, is located on the Great South Wall (South Bull Wall), at the Port of Dublin, which extends from Ringsend's Poolbeg peninsula nearly four miles out into Dublin Bay. The wall was the world's longest at the time of its building, and remains one of the longest sea-walls in Europe. One of the other two lighthouses is located on the Bull Wall opposite, and the other on a wooden platform mid-channel.

The Poolbeg Lighthouse is not the most attractive but an iconic feature in the bay, in which it occupies an almost central position. It is nearly equidistant from Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, and Howth, and commands extensive views of the shores of the bay, with an unbroken panorama of the mountains on the south. Howth with its heather-clad hills, bright green fields and rugged reaches of sea cliff, is very visible from this point. [4] [5]

Original building

Poolbeg Lighthouse (May 2009) PoolbegLighthouseDublin.JPG
Poolbeg Lighthouse (May 2009)
Poolbeg Lighthouse in 1787, a painting by John Thomas Serres HMS Dorset royal yacht at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1787 2007BM5219 2500.jpg
Poolbeg Lighthouse in 1787, a painting by John Thomas Serres

The lighthouse when originally constructed, presented an entirely different appearance from what it does at the present time. It was not as high as the existing structure, it sloped much more rapidly towards the top, and was surmounted by an octagonal lantern with eight heavy glass windows. A stone staircase with an iron balustrade led to the second storey, where an iron gallery surrounded the whole building. The lighthouse was constructed in 1789 by Mr. Smith and affords a striking proof that the greatest difficulties may be overcome by genius and perseverance. [6]

The alteration to the present form was made in the early part of the nineteenth century. [7]

Management

The lighthouse, automated for many years, is managed by Dublin Port Company, whereas most lighthouses in Ireland are managed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, today part of a larger cross-border body. [1]

Standard height measurement for Ordnance Survey Ireland

Poolbeg lighthouse, marking the sea end of Great Bull Wall at the entrance of Dublin Port Poolbeg lighthouse, marking the sea end of Great Bull Wall at the entrance of Dublin Port.jpg
Poolbeg lighthouse, marking the sea end of Great Bull Wall at the entrance of Dublin Port

Historically, the Ordnance Survey Ireland used the low water mark of the spring tide on 8 April 1837 at the Poolbeg Lighthouse as a standard height for all its maps, [8] a practice which continued up until 1958.

Colouring

Poolbeg Lighthouse (August 2010) Poolbeg Lighthouse, Great South Wall, Dublin.jpg
Poolbeg Lighthouse (August 2010)

The Poolbeg Lighthouse is painted red. The green lighthouse on the opposite side of the channel is the North Bull lighthouse, a couple of metres off the end of the North Bull Wall, and another green lighthouse the North Bank Lighthouse is also located next to the shipping channel into Dublin. As with all navigational aids marking a channel, the port side as one heads upstream is indicated by red markers whilst the right hand side or starboard of the channel is green. [9]

Incidents

In 2016, a 48-year-old man drowned in the sea near the lighthouse while playing the augmented-reality video game Ingress, having possibly tripped on a raised water grate at the edge of the pier. The grates have since been removed. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rennie the Elder</span> Scottish civil engineer (1761–1821)

John Rennie was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Bay</span> Inlet of the Irish Sea around Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sand banks lay, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandymount</span> Coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland

Sandymount is a coastal suburb in the Dublin 4 district on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringsend</span> Suburb of Dublin, Ireland

Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge. Areas included in Ringsend are the south side of the Dublin Docklands, and at the west end is the area of South Lotts and part of the Grand Canal Dock area. Neighbouring areas include Irishtown, Sandymount and the Beggars Bush part of Ballsbridge to the south, and the city centre to the west. A key feature of the area is the chimneys of Poolbeg power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Port</span> Leading sea port of both country and island of Ireland

Dublin Port is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howth</span> Peninsular suburb of Dublin

Howth is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the island of Ireland's Eye, which holds multiple natural protection designations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howth Head</span> Peninsula northeast of Dublin, Ireland

Howth Head is a peninsula northeast of the city of Dublin in Ireland, within the governance of Fingal County Council. Entry to the headland is at Sutton while the village of Howth and the harbour are on the north-eastern face. Most of Howth Head is occupied by the Hill of Howth, though there are other regions, such as the tombolo at Sutton, extensive beaches on the northern shores, and small ones in other parts. The Baily Lighthouse is on the southeastern part of Howth Head. Nearby are the districts of Baldoyle and Portmarnock, and adjacent is the nature reserve of North Bull Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland's Eye</span> Marine island in County Dublin, Ireland

Ireland's Eye Anciently called 'Adros' by Ptolomy, 'Adrea Deserta' by Pliny, and 'Andros' and 'Edria' by other early navigators. is a small long-uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland. Situated directly north of Howth village and harbour, the island is easily reached by regular seasonal tourist boats, which both circumnavigate it and drop off day trippers. There is a yacht anchorage to the north of it, and kayakers also land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Island</span> Island in Dublin, Ireland, also nature reserve

Bull Island, more properly North Bull Island, is an island located in Dublin Bay in Ireland, about 5 km long and 800 m wide, lying roughly parallel to the shore off Clontarf, Raheny, Kilbarrack, and facing Sutton. The island, with a sandy beach known as Dollymount Strand running its entire length, is a relatively recent, and inadvertent, result of human intervention in the bay. The island lies within the jurisdiction of, and is mostly owned by, Dublin City Council, and is managed by the Council's Parks and Landscape Division.

The Commissioners of Irish Lights, often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse authority for the island of Ireland it oversees the coastal lights and navigation marks provided by the local lighthouse authorities, the county councils and port authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance datum</span> Vertical datum used as the basis for deriving altitudes on maps

An ordnance datum or OD is a vertical datum used by an ordnance survey as the basis for deriving altitudes on maps. A spot height may be expressed as AOD for "above ordnance datum". Usually mean sea level (MSL) at a particular place is used for the datum. In particular:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baily Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the Howth peninsula, County Dublin, Ireland

The Baily Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southeastern part of Howth Head in County Dublin, Ireland. It is maintained by the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poolbeg</span> Man-made peninsula in Dublin, Ireland

Poolbeg is an artificial peninsula extending from Ringsend, Dublin, into Dublin Bay.

Rochdale and Prince of Wales were two troop ships that sank in Dublin Bay in 1807.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Wall</span> Sea wall and breakwater at the Port of Dublin, Ireland

The Bull Wall, or North Bull Wall, at the Port of Dublin, extending from the estuary of the River Tolka and the district of Clontarf out nearly 3 km into Dublin Bay, is one of the two defining sea walls of the port, and faces the earlier-constructed Great South Wall. It has one of a trio of port lighthouses at the end of its extension breakwater, and a statue of Realt na Mara partway along, and was responsible for the formation of North Bull Island with its nearly 5 km of beach.

The Great South Wall, at the Port of Dublin, extends from the tip of the Poolbeg peninsula more than four kilometres out into Dublin Bay. It was the world's longest sea wall at the time of its construction and remains one of the longest in Europe. It faces the newer Bull Wall, and has one of four port lighthouses at its end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bull Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

The North Bull Lighthouse, is an active aid to navigation located at the mouth of the River Liffey, near Dublin, Ireland. It is one of four lighthouses that help guide shipping into the Liffey, and the Port of Dublin, all of which are operated and maintained by the Dublin Port Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eeragh Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Eeragh Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on Rock Island, one of the Brannock Islands, part of the Aran Islands archipelago in County Galway, Ireland. It marks the north-western entrance to Galway Bay and the port of Galway known as the North Sound. Due to its location it is also known as the Aran North Lighthouse. The lighthouse on Inisheer at the south-eastern end of the islands was also constructed at the same time. Eeragh and Inisheer both became operational in 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howth Harbour Lighthouse</span> Historic lighthouse at Howth Harbour, Ireland

The Harbour lighthouse in Howth is a historic aid to navigation situated on the East pier of the harbour. It was built in the early 19th century to help guide shipping into the newly constructed harbour, which acted as the terminus for the packet service between Ireland and England. In 1982 it was decommissioned and replaced by a modern pole light on an adjacent extension of the pier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bank Lighthouse</span> Irish lighthouse

The North Bank or Northbank Lighthouse, is an active aid to navigation located at the mouth of the River Liffey, near Dublin, Ireland. It is one of four lighthouses that help guide shipping into the Liffey, and the Port of Dublin, all of which are operated and maintained by the Dublin Port Company. Built in 1882, it also affectionately called The Tea Caddy due to its architecture, and has also been described as "resembling a giant mailbox on stilts".

References

  1. 1 2 Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Eastern Ireland (Leinster)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 Cox, Ronald C.; Gould, Michael H. (1998). Ireland. Thomas Telford. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-0-7277-2627-8.
  3. "Great South Wall – Great South Wall". Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  4. History of Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club & Marina Dublin near South Wall Walk Archived 27 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "RTÉ Radio One, Mooney Goes Wild". RTÉ News.
  6. Dublin Penny Journal, Vol III, 7 March 1835
  7. Neighbourhood of Dublin: Poolbeg Lighthouse and the South Wall Extension, Irishtown, Sandymount, Beggardbush and Baggotrath
  8. "Irish Grid Reference System". Ordnance Survey Ireland. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  9. "Dublin Port". eOceanic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  10. Roseingrave, Louise. "Online gamer died on Poolbeg Pier 'capture' mission, inquest hears". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

53°20′32″N6°09′06″W / 53.3421°N 6.1517°W / 53.3421; -6.1517