It is long accepted in Dublin that Bull Island did not exist until the building of the North Bull Wall – which was built in an effort to reduce the silt ending up in Dublin Port and as a result this silt was diverted elsewhere to North Bull. In 1871 the island was estimated at around 2km long, and now in 2020 it is about 5km long and 1km wide.
“The British Isles depend on the sea, but we who live here can suffer from sea-blindness, little realising how much our way of life is made possible through ships that bring goods and food, export our manufactured products, and provide the naval defence of our island.”
These are the opening words of a book by John Blake called “Sea Charts of the British Isles” which brings together an array of old maps from the UK and Ireland, and outlines the development of maritime map making in the UK. Keep Reading
Though Strangford Lough is a long way from Scandinavia, it has an impressive Viking heritage. The ford from Old Norse Strangr Fjörðr. But it was also host to a battle between two groups of Viking rivals. Keep Reading
For the first time in my life, I was standing in a wide expanse of raw beauty, but I was alone. (Within an hour I was in Murlough Bay saying the same).
There is a Sea, next to Ireland that I never heard of – What a surprise! I had always presumed that only one label existed – the North Channel – but the Straits of Moyle (Sruth na Maoile in Irish and Scottish Gaelic) or Sea of Moyle sits in the North Channel between northeastern County Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre. The distance between the two shores is approximately 12 miles (20 km) at its closest point, and thus it is possible to see across in clear weather conditions.
The coastal road of Antrim was sublime and beautiful even though I arrived late to the area. With few cars, it brought me a constant murmur of delight; it had that perfect road-trip vibe.
Only a smidgen of effort has been required to take beautiful photos of Dublin this summer. The following were taken on a single evening last week.
There are some wonderful Ireland-focused blogs. Perhaps we need an official directory of high-standard personal blogs pertaining to the island. This one is a charm – rmchapple.blogspot.com by archaeologist Robert M Chapple, which contains a wide variety of engaging topics. I certainly will not be trying to compete with someone who keeps a catalogue of Radiocarbon Determinations and Dendrochronological Dates….
Rossglass has an extended beach, a mixture of sand and various rocks of different sizes. St John’s Lighthouse is in the distance.
The site is also the first in Northern Ireland to have a bye-law to protect shore-nesting birds and seal pups from disturbance during their breeding season.
The Skerries Islands are collectively of international importance because of their bird life.