DUN LAOGHAIRE HARBOUR

Dun Laoghaire is a very historical town. It used to be a small fishing village located on a rocky coast near Salthill, which was renowned for its production of salt. The original village, called Dunleary was situated near the beginning of the present West Pier. The present inner harbour, known as the coal harbour, dates from that time of the 18th Century. It consisted of seventy dwellings or cottages and was a very compact little village. All that remains of Dunleary is a row of 15 houses, including ‘Purty Kitchen’ and the Coal Harbour Pier. However, during that time, there was also another pier which was in the form of a curve. That pier is now buried beneath the railway line. There used to be a sandy cove running up to the site of the former ‘Fun Factory’, which was closed recently. Now, all that land has been reclaimed and built on. In Dunleary during the 18th Century, there used to be a famous coffeehouse which was very popular with tourists and people on day-trips from Dublin. The small harbour used to dry-out at low tide but it was considered an important departure point for England. Dun Laoghaire is still an important port, however the present journey time of 1½ hours does not compare to the 22 hours then!