DOI: 10.7925/drs1.ucdlib_255671
title: Balbriggan Harbour, County Fingal (Minor Harbours of Ireland)

description: This collection contains files which describe the construction and evolution of Balbriggan Harbour, County Fingal, from its earliest structure to its current form.
description: Biographical/historical information: The harbour at Balbriggan was largely built for trade through the efforts of the Hamilton family, who were the principal tenants of the land under deed to Viscount Kingsland from 1718 to 1885 when the estate was sold (Board, 1876). The original 'kay' designed by Oliver Grace and built before 1760 on the south side of the estuary was likely constructed of timber casing filled with rubble stone and was financed by the Hamiltons (Ireland, 1761-62). A parliamentary grant of £1500, secured by the Hamiltons in 1761, led to the rebuilding and extension of this pier, which was designed by Christopher Myers and Thomas Eyre, the Surveyor General (Anon., 1764; Ireland, 1761-62). An additional grant of £3721 in 1765 aided in extending the pier to its current form and building of a lighthouse (Ireland, 1765-72). The pier consists of a heavy rubble stone base surmounted by randomly coursed hewn stone with storm wall or parapet, protected by rock armour to the seaward face. The matching west pier was built incrementally during the course of the 19th century. The first west pier was designed by James Donnell before 1822, prior to his work with the Commissioners of Irish Fisheries, and partially financed by the Hamiltons (Gilligan, 1988; Rennie,1818). This was later extended to designs by Donnell, then working as engineer to the Commissioners, between 1825 and 1829 and built by James Kinffe, financed with a grant of £2,666 from the Commissioners (Office, 1825-1848). It was built, as the east pier, of randomly coursed hewn stone, with a low parapet wall. Following the building of the railway viaduct between 1843-44, the inner harbour south-west of the viaduct was no longer accessible. The Board of Public Works planned to deepen the harbour, through the removal of rock, and to build a new quay north of and parallel to the viaduct in 1848, but it is uncertain whether this work was undertaken at this date (Office, 1825-1848). The inner harbour was later occupied by the gas works, as can be seen on the OSI 25" series from 1909, though not in-filled until a later date. This area was developed as a surface car park after 1980. By 1866 the financial burden of maintaining the harbour had become too great and the Hamilton family requested that the Dublin Port assume responsibility, as it had for some years been used as an out port to Dublin (Gilligan, 1988). Following this transfer in 1867, Bindon Blood Stoney, the Chief Engineer of Dublin Port, designed the final extension of the west pier between 1869 and 1871 to its current form (Mulherin, 2000). This was a dressed ashlar granite extension to the earlier west pier. As the south-west quay wall at the viaduct and part of main pier adjoining it is of dressed ashlar granite, consistent with the last extension to the west pier, it seems likely this work was done at the same time. In addition to major repairs to the east pier following storm damage in 1896, by 1911 Dublin Port had also removed the end of ballast pier on the west pier (Mulherin, 2000). Storm damage in 1978 to the main pier resulted in significant expenditures by Dublin Port to repair the storm wall near the lighthouse with concrete and led to negotiations to transfer ownership between the port and Dublin County (Gilligan, 1988). Ownership of the harbour was transferred to Fingal County Council after 2000, who made further repairs in concrete to the east pier following storm damage in 2005 (Ambarchian et al., 2006).
description: : Alternative Names: None.
description: : County: Fingal.
description: : Irish National Grid Coordinates: 320627, 264016.
description: : National Monuments Service/National Inventory of Architectural Heritage reference: 11305018.
description: : Geomorphological: Estuary.
description: : Date of Construction: East pier [c.1755]; extension/rebuilding of east pier and lighthouse [1761-65]; west pier [before 1822]; Extension of west pier [1825-29]; Deepening of harbour [1848]; Final extension of west pier [1869-71]; Infilling of inner basin [after 1909?].
description: : Form: Two piers, two slipways and lighthouse.
description: : Builder: Unknown [c.1755, 1761-65]; James Kinffe [1825-29].
description: : Engineer: Oliver Grace [c.1755]; Christopher Myers and Thomas Eyre [1761-65]; James Donnell [before 1822, 1825-29]; Barry Gibbons [1848]; Bindon Blood Stoney [1869-71]
description: : Ownership: Barnewall, Viscount Kingsland [c.1414 -1718]; Hamilton Family, principal tenants of Kingsland estate [1718- 1867]; Dublin Port [1867-c.2000]; Fingal County Council [c.2000-present].
description: : Building Material: Main east pier built of boulders as base surmounted by rough blockwork pier, repaired with concrete at storm breach from 1978. West pier of poorly coursed rubble with dressed ashlar granite on final extension. South west quay wall at viaduct and part of main pier adjoining also of dressed ashlar granite.
description: Keywords: Harbours, Ireland, Maritime, Engineering, Heritage at Risk, LiDAR, Transportable Data, Balbriggan, 18th century, 19th century, James Kinffe, Oliver Grace, Christopher Myers, Thomas Eyre, James Donnell, Barry Gibbons, Bindon Blood Stoney, Barnewall, Viscount Kingsland, Hamilton Family, Dublin Port, Fingal County Council, Stone, Fingal.
description: Funding: Funder: Irish Research Council ; funder identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002081 ; award number: R15353.