Dún Laoghaire Harbour
Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire was used by the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The pier was built between 1855 and 1859 and was named after the Earl of Carlisle, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.[1] Many Irish people emigrated from it.[2]
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.[3]
In 2009 Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company began demolishing the 1960s structures, preserving the cast-iron columns of the original 1850s structure.[2] The harbour company had been accused of planning to demolish the pier itself by Richard Boyd Barrett, an accusation the company rejected.[4] There had been a number of buildings proposed to be built on the pier over the years, but all have fallen through.[4] The demolition was criticised though some politicians supported it.[2][5]
In 2010, the Genealogical Society of Ireland moved its premises and its archives to Carlisle Pier. It established its archive and research centre, known as Daonchartlann (Irish neologism for "people archive") there.[6]
Currently, there are no vessels moored at the pier.[7]
Railway Station
The railway station on the pier opened in 1859 and closed in November 1980.[8] It provided a link for both passengers and postal traffic between the main railways and the ferry service.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dún Laoghaire | Sealink Dún Laoghaire-Holyhead |
Terminus |
References
- ^ Carlisle Pier - Dún Laoghaire, irishseashipping.com
- ^ a b c Carlisle Pier pressure, The Irish Times, 3 September 2009, retrieved 8 September 2009
- ^ The Carlisle Pier, sealink-holyhead.com
- ^ a b No intention to pull down pier, says harbour company, Olivia Kelly, The Irish Times, 23 July 2009, retrieved 8 September 2009
- ^ Planning row erupts over pier's demolition, Paul Melia and Grainne Cunningham, Irish Independent, 2 September 2009, retrieved 8 September 2009
- ^ Inside the Archive/Research Centre, Genealogical Society of Ireland website, retrieved 10 September 2014
- ^ History - Lightships The Gannet Archived September 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kingstown, Carlisle Pier. Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf.