I have made two quick visits to Chester. It is such a lovely city. Chester Rows, the Roman Walls, the Amphitheatre, Grosvenor Park, and the Canal Basins (and apparently there is even a Zoo!). But there was one thing that I could not find…… the Port! For hundreds of years before the prominence of Liverpool, Chester was the primary port on the north-west coast of England. And yet when I asked several local people for directions, they all said something like this: “I have lived all my life here, I should know the answer to that, but I’m not sure.” It was only after I returned home and did some research did I learn that this was more complex question than I had imagined.
The Irish Sea is Born
It was 20 millions years ago that Britain and Ireland ended up where they are now. Almost 300 million years before that, the super continent Gondwanaland had began to separate in a north-south movement. Then 100 million years ago this shifted a an east-west separation, and by 40 million years ago the Atlantic Ocean was formed – and the continents as they are now were more or less in place 20 million years ago.
One of the best reasons to cross the East Link bridge, is to catch a glimpse of the boats close to Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club, & Marina.
The land on which East-Point business park is built is an area that few Dublin residents visit – other than those working there. And yet it contains one scarcely known view of the city – a view of Clontarf promenade.