Dún Laoghaire

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Dún Laoghaire

Dún Laoghaire (Irish pronunciation /duːn ˈɫeːrʲə/; anglicised pronunciation /dʌn ˈlɪəri/) is a suburban seaside town and a ferry port situated some 12 km south of Dublin city centre, and is the administrative centre of the county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Dún Laoghaire was once part of the borough of Dún Laoghaire and remains the only town in Ireland to have its own Vocational Education Committee.

The town had been officially renamed Kingstown in 1821 in honour of a visit by King George IV, but reverted to its ancient Irish name by resolution of the town council in 1921, one year before Irish independence. The name derives from its founder, Laoghaire, a 5th century High King of Ireland, who chose the site as a sea base from which to carry out raids on Britain and France. Dún is an Irish word meaning "fort". King Laoghaire is famous for having allowed Saint Patrick to travel the country and preach Christianity.

Dun Laoghaire coat of arms Displayed on Dun Laoghaire East pier

Leinster anchor at Carsile Pier

Dun Laoghaire East pier The end of the East pier on a Summer's day

George's street at night

Dún Laoghaire is connected to central Dublin by the DART suburban railway, frequent bus service, and has a ferry connection to Holyhead in Anglesey, Wales. The Dublin to Dún Laoghaire railway, constructed in 1837, was the first ever railway in Ireland.

A number of years ago saw George's Street undergoing pedestrisation, with the buses which used to run along this route (7,7A,8) being now re-routed along the sea front up to Marine Road.

The harbour is notable for its two granite piers. The East Pier is particularly popular with walkers, and is featured in the 1996 movie Michael Collins, where Liam Neeson (Collins) et al. are seen walking alone a sea-side promenade which is, indeed, the Dun Laoghaire East Pier. Other features of the town include the National Maritime Museum of Ireland and a Martello tower in nearby Sandycove, known as the James Joyce Tower. It took 42 years to construct the harbour - from 1817 to 1859.

Dún Laoghaire harbour is home to five yacht clubs. From north (West Pier) to south (East Pier) they are the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Sailing In Dublin Club, the Royal Irish Yacht Club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, and the National Yacht Club.

The area to the north of the West Pier is heavily used year-round by windsurfers as a launch point, although occasionally dinghy schools use it in the summer.

During the Second World War the German ambassador to Ireland Eduard Hempel lived in Dún Laoghaire, and it was here that Eamon de Valera controversially visited him to present his condolences following Adolf Hitler's death. During the war years people living in Dun Laogahire and indeed on the East coast in general were "treated" to nightly sounds of dreadful droaning German bomber engines flying up along the Irish coast on there way to bomb locations, often in the North of England. Notable was the difference in sound of the "droaning" between the coming of the planes and when they were coming back, also along the same route, presumably to avoid flying over enemy (i.e. British) air space. The droaning sound on the way back was always lighter due to the aircraft having lost so much weight, having despatched its load of bombs on unfortunate targets. People witnessing this at the time can recall the bombers being lit up in the sky by Irish search lights, but of course were never fired upon.

The Irish singer and African activist Bob Geldof was born in Dún Laoghaire and has strong connections with the area. U2 singer Bono and Chris de Burgh both live in nearby Dalkey.

Dun Laoghaire was hit by a stray German bomb during World War II, the bomb landing near the Peoples Park at Rosmeen Gardens. (Ref. will be added in due course).

Dún Laoghaire Marina

The 500-berth marina is the largest in the country and opened for business in 2001 following resistance for over 15 years by a group led by the late Dr John de Courcy Ireland, a maritime historian. A 240 berth extension, involving and investment of €3 million, was approved in June 2006 by An Bord Pleanála. The project is expected to be completed by April 2007.

See also

• Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology

External links

• [Dun Laoghaire—Rathdown County Council]
• [Dun Laoghaire—Rathdown County Enterprise Board]
• [National Maritime Museum]
• [Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC)]
• [Sailing In Dublin Club (SID)]
• [National Yacht Club (NYC)]
• [Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC)]
• [Royal St. George Yacht Club (RStGYC)]
• [Visitor Information]
• [The 'Forty Foot' - Famous Bathing Place]
• [Dun Laoire]
• [Stena Line page] giving technical details of the Holyhead HSS ferry.
• [62nd Infantry Battalion]. (Unofficial Website of Dún Laoghaire's local Army Reserve unit)
• [Maritime Institute of Ireland (Museum and Library)]
• [8th Port Sea Scouts] 8ú Calafort's WebSite, Dún Laoghaire Pier
• [Sealink-Holyhead.com] a guide to the history of the sea route between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead
• [Google Maps map of Dún Laoghaire]
• [Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company]
• [Dún Laoghaire public parks]

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