page_title: Dún Laoghaire Harbour
section_title: Carlisle Pier
hierarchical_section_title: Dún Laoghaire Harbour / History / Carlisle Pier
caption_attribution_description: English: St Columba &amp; train Carlisle Pier
context_page_description: Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Carlisle Pier were constructed in the nineteenth century for the purposes of sheltering ships and accommodating the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The nearby settlement of Dún Laoghaire has also previously been known as Kingstown and also as Dun Leary. Carlisle Pier has been known previously as Kingston Pier and the Mailboat Pier.
context_section_description: Construction of the pier started in 1853 and was completed in 1855. The railway station opened in 1859.   The pier was named after the Earl of Carlisle, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In subsequent years many Irish people emigrated from it.
  The RMS Leinster departed from the pier on her final voyage in 1918.
  In 1953 a passenger lounge was built along the east side of the pier and around the end with sheds added in the 1960s.
  In 2009 Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company began demolishing the 1960s structures, preserving the cast-iron columns of the original 1850s structure.  The harbour company had been accused of planning to demolish the pier itself by Richard Boyd Barrett, an accusation the company rejected. There had been a number of buildings proposed to be built on the pier over the years, but all have fallen through. The demolition was criticised though some politicians supported it.  The building infrastructure is now removed and pier is currently used as a car park, boat storage, unloading of unusual cargoes and special events such as funfairs.
caption: Carlisle Pier July 1980, the last year of the trains with the Pier now modified for a Car Ferry
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