Atmospheric Railway

Following a patent in 1839 Samuel Clegg and the Samuda brothers set up a demonstration of an atmospheric railway at Wormwood Scrubs in England. The directors of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway were impressed by the system and determined it would be a suitable means to extend their existing line from Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) to Dalkey. James Pim (Junior), the treasurer of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, became an enthusiastic supporter of the atmospheric system and began preparations to extend the service to Dalkey using it.

In 1841 he sent a letter to Viscount Morpeth indicating the expected cost of the work to be £15,000, with William Dargan as contractor and Charles Vignoles as engineer. The Harbour Commissioners granted land for the project which adjoined the line known as The Metals. It got its name from the haulage of granite from the Dalkey quarries down the steep hill for the building of the Dun Laoghaire piers. The line was opened in July 1844, with trains leaving every thirty minutes from 8am to 6pm.

Atmospheric traction was only used for the climb to Dalkey where there were no buffer stops, and trains sometimes ran right through the station and off the rails! Gravity, however, took charge of the downhill journey, and when the train slowed before the station the unfortunate third-class passengers had to push while the others walked.

In August 1844 the line was visited by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and other representatives of the Great Western Railway. They subsequently constructed the 20 mile (32 km) South Devon Railway which operated with atmospheric propulsion.

However, maintaining proper atmospheric conditions was no easy task. The leather flaps, which were an integral part of keeping the system air-tight and operating at its best, were covered in grease and this became a problem. The smell attracted rats that gnawed at them, rendering them not only expensive to repair but hindering performance. The last Atmospheric Train ran on Wednesday 12^th April 1854.

May Day

The first of the month, I walk by the bay

Weather is glorious, oh do try and stay

Gentle breeze embraces

My heart now races

Feeling lucky, on this beautiful May Day

Scotsman’s Bay, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin

The Kish Lighthouse

The Kish Lighthouse

You cannot always see it but you know it’s there, helping sailors navigate the tricky waters of Dublin Bay. It’s seven miles from the coast, a dot on the horizon when visible, but the Kish Lighthouse plays an important role and has done so in one form or another. The name kish means to trap or snare and many a ship was lost due to the shifting sand bank.

The treacherous waters just beyond Dublin Bay have been the cause of many ships demise, and in August 1810, the Corporation for Improving the Port of Dublin, later known as the Commissioners of Irish Lights, decided to install a floating light on the Kish Bank. The following year they purchased the Galliot Veronia Gesina (103 tons), fitted it out and hired a crew to operate and maintain a floating light. The light was first operational on 16th November 1811. A gong was sounded off in time of foggy weather, and an 18-pounder gun was fired when the Holyhead Packet was passing.

In 1842 the Corporation tried to build a permanent at the site  but the piles were destroyed in a sever gale and the project was cancelled.

In 1960, the Commissioners decided to erect a platform style lighthouse, similar to those used in offshore oil rigs. A competition was held and the design submitted Christiani & Nielsen Ltd, was eventually selected. This design, for a  concrete lighthouse, was designed to last for at least 75 years.

Work began in 1963 and the lighthouse was towed from Dun Laoghaire marina to the Kish Bank on 29^th June 1965. It is 100 feet high and surmounted by a 32 feet diameter helicopter landing platform. On 9 November 1965 the Kish Lightvessel was withdrawn and replaced by the new lighthouse whose equipment includes a catoptric lantern giving a two million candlepower beam. On 7 April 1992 the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and the Keepers were withdrawn from the station.

Ballybrack Dolmen

Ballybrack Dolmen

It’s often the case that when you have something ‘on your doorstep’ that it’s ignored for another time. And that was certainly the case, for me, when I decided to check out the Dolmen near Ballybrack village. I knew about it for a long time but had put my visit on the long finger until a few days ago. It was warm and sunny when I arrived, and the old stones looked bright and sharp in the middle of the green that is almost surrounded by modern houses. (It is on a green in Cromlech Fields, and it’s no surprise that cromlech is another word often used to describe such ancient structures.) What was it like here on the day the last stone was put in place, I wondered, and walked to the group of heavy stones.

I read that the large, roof stone weighs about twelve tons and that must have taken some effort to set it in place. Thinking about that and the commitment of those who first decided and then erected the structure it must have been important to them, and it’s a statement of the focus and skill that it is still standing after, possibly, more than four millennia. A small, stone beside the dolmen says that it is a Dolmen, Portal Tomb, circa 2,500 BC – a timeframe that is impossible to understand. Since that time, getting on for nearly five thousand years, almost all of recorded history has come and gone and the dolmen is still standing and awaiting the next sunrise.

There are many dolmens around the country and, having one so close to home and easy to visit, it was a real treat to see it and think about druids in flowing robes carrying out mystical rituals by firelight back in the mists of time.

Seapoint – View to a Thrill

Seapoint is pretty, you can easily see why

It’s fabulous view, of bay and blue sky

A great place to swim

Maybe surf on a whim

Or walking with friends, it’s always a joy

Seapoint, and Dublin Bay beyond

Festive Fun

It’s Christmas Week, shopping’s finally done

Must slow down now, and have some fun

With friends to see

Walks on the quay

Such simple pleasures, the best bar none

Let’s walk…

Books Galore

If you really like books, then Dave’s your man

From thrillers to sport, there’s much to scan

His deals are great

Don’t dare be late

To get your pressies, what a cunning plan!

Dave – with the faithful Murphy

Book Deals – 54, Lower George’s Street, Dun Laoghaire

Telling Tales

I have my coffee, and a sweet cake

At a crowded table, inside the gate

With friends telling tales

And some biting nails

It’s a great moment, and not one to break

The People’s Park, Dun Laoghaire

Cloudy Bay

I went for a walk, on the pier today

A gentle breeze, held me in its sway

Each step took me near

Until it became clear

The beautiful sight, of my Cloudy Bay

Along the West Pier, Dun Laoghaire to Cloudy Bay

The Lexicon – A library of Dreams

It’s been a long time, but the doors are open

Here happy faces, showing smiley emotion

I pick and choose

No time to lose

The sun shines bright, and the day is golden

A place of wonder

The Lexicon, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin