After
some 236 years is the Great South Wall about to do a split on us? Have the winds
and waves finally broken its back? Have the huge swells from modern ships, or
should I say floating office blocks, proved to be the straw that broke the camel's
back?
Large cracks have now appeared in the stretch of the wall between the Old Valve House and the Half Moon Club. Quite a few of them have snaked their way along sections of the wall as if an earthquake was imminent, splitting the huge granite blocks in two. Some of these cracks measure as much as 200 feet in length and in parts as much as 3 inches wide.
Metal grilles have been bolted to the affected areas and hopefully they will help halt this erosion. Work commenced on this great wall in 1761 and it took seven long years to build and it's said that it is one of the longest sea walls in Europe.
In all my years I have never found a more tranquil spot than that section of the wall between the Valve House and the Red Light House
On right: A section of the beautiful wall and pathway that leads to the Poolbeg Lighthouse, also affectionately known as the 'Red Lighthouse'. It will be a sad day if these cracks increase in size to a dangerous level whereby the public may have to be refused entry.Back to the Front Page