DOI: 10.7925/drs1.ucdlib_255765
title: Bullock Harbour, County Dublin (Minor Harbours of Ireland)
title: Bulloch Harbour, County Dublin

description: This collection contains files which describe the construction and evolution of Bullock Harbour, County Dublin, from its earliest structure to its current form.
description: Biographical/historical information: The sandy bay framed by the rocky foreshore on which Bullock Castle stands and the rocks called 'Old Bullock' was in use as a harbour from a very early date, likely coincident with the building of the castle. The date of the first pier(s) is uncertain, though it has been suggested that there was a pier there as early as the 15th century built by the Cistercian monks who inhabited the castle at that time. By the time of Frances Place's visit in 1699 there were stone piers to the east and west framing an entry to an otherwise undeveloped sandy cove, though what date they were built and by whom is unknown. The piers in the Place drawing were likely in ruin by the mid 18th century, as a petition to the Irish Parliament from the Merchants and Traders of Dublin in 1765 to continue the 'new quay' below the castle implies a structure lately built (Anon. 1797). It is known that the Revenue Commissioners kept a King's Barge at Bullock in 1757 (Irish Revenue 1757), which may mean the Commissioners built this 'new quay', though the land at the time was owned by the Allens. By 1770 the quay to the west had been extended in hewn stone, and it is likely a 'strong jettee' of hewn or rubble stone, also part of the 1765 petition, had been built on the east of the inlet, from evidence in a painting by Charles Vallencey Pratt of 1813. By 1800, when Bligh surveyed the harbour, the jetty is in a ruinous state. In 1804, the Allen family, then the Earls of Carysfort, leased the harbour and lands to Dublin Port who wanted to exploit the granite quarries on the property for works at Dublin Port, and developed the harbour for shipping the stone (Gilligan 1988). The sequence of works that took place between 1804 and 1820 were financed by Dublin Port and built principally by George Smith (Anon. 1814-22). These include a series of pilot cottages in 1806, the extension of the western quay wall in uncoursed rough hewn stone by 123 feet and walling of the castle grounds and roadway, also in hewn stone, between 1807-08, and a hewn stone landing slip at the south of the harbour 1811-16 possibly built by Col. Browne. In 1816 additional contracts were awarded by Dublin Port to Col. Browne for completing the road walls, and to George Smith for extending the existing west quay 80 feet (ibid.). The final works designed by George Halpin, then Chief Engineer of Dublin Port in 1818 included new quay walls and piers, incorporating the existing slipway and part of the western hewn stone quay, still visible, in addition to deepening the harbour and the erection of three cranes. Though initially contracted to John Graham in 1818 for £3,323, he was replaced by George Smith, who agreed to complete the works for £5,000 (ibid.). The stone work, of dressed ashlar granite, is laid vertically in the curved eastern quay, contrary to Halpin's specifications, which described the courses as 12 inches thick, except the coping which is 18 inches, with headers 4 feet deep and 2 feet on the face, and stretchers 2 feet deep and four feet on the face, and overlapping at least 8 inches at the joints. The remaining east quay and both piers follow these specifications, suggesting Smith may have been reprimanded for the work on the east quay. The works on the west quay are built to a different angle to the existing hewn stone quay to cover the old pier of c.1760 and still visible on the surface the east pier are the remnants of the old 'jettee' built c.1765. In the 20th century concrete buttresses were added to support the west quay and a new concrete slip was built.
description: : Alternative Names: Bulloch.
description: : County: Dublin.
description: : Irish National Grid Coordinates: 326240, 227750.
description: : National Monuments Service/National Inventory of Architectural Heritage reference: Scheduled for inclusion in the next revision of the RMP.
description: : Geomorphological: Intermittent rocky foreshore.
description: : Date of Construction: East and west piers [before 1699]; west quay [c. 1750]; extension of west quay and construction of east 'jettee' [1765-70]; Extension of west quay and roadway [1807-08]; slipway [1811-16]; new quays and piers [1818-19].
description: : Form: Two quays, slip and two piers.
description: : Builder: Unknown [pre-1699]; Unknown [c. 1750, 1765-70]; George Smith [1806, 1807-08, 1818-19]; Col. Browne [1811-16].
description: : Engineer: George Halpin, Chief Engineer, Dublin Port [1818-19].
description: : Ownership: Cistercian Monks [? -1542]; Crown [1542-c.1633]; Fagan of Feltrim [before 1641-c.1703]; Allen Family, later Carysfort [c.1703-1804]; Dublin Port [1804-present].
description: : Building Material: Poorly coursed rubble granite on medieval and later works to 1816, followed by coursed dressed ashlar granite quay (2) and pier (2) in 1818-19.
description: Keywords: Harbours, Ireland, Maritime, Engineering, Heritage at Risk, LiDAR, Transportable Data, Bullock, Bulloch, 15th century, 19th century, Stone, Granite, George Halpin, George Smith, Col. Browne, Carysfort, Allen, Cistercian Monks, Dublin Ports, Dublin.
description: Funding: Funder: Irish Research Council ; funder identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002081 ; award number: R15353.