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.
Ports in the Irish Sea
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There are many large and small ports – some less operational than others – along the shores of the islands. I want to explore each of these in a little more detail to understand the various intersections of communication and traversing in the Irish Sea. These ports have emerged for various reasons. But and some of the are like twins to others across the Irish Sea such as Dublin and Holyhead and Liverpool (and formerly Chester)
- Arklow
- Belfast
- Birkenhead
- Bristol
- Chester/Parkgate – former port very important in the history of Irish shipping to the UK
- Douglas
- Drogheda
- Dublin
- Dundalk
- Dún Laoghaire
- Fishguard
- Greenore
- Heysham
- Holyhead
- Howth
- Larne
- Liverpool
- Mostyn
- Newport
- Rosslare
- Stranraer
- Swansea
- Warrenpoint
- Wicklow