Dun Laoghaire harbour was constructed in the early 1800s from stone quarried at nearby Dalkey. The old railway used to transport the rock is now a popular walking path, “The Metals”, leading to the town of Dalkey and on to the quarry in Kilkenney Park. Dalkey is an appealing town with many pubs and two medieval castles. The old quarry now is a popular rock-climbing destination with a great view back to Dun Laoghaire harbour, pictured above, while the two hills in Kilkenney Park provide even better views over the surrounding area.
From Dun Laoghaire, we made a 10-mile (16km) walk along The Metals through Dalkey and then on to explore the old quarry and climb up to Dalkey and Kilkenny hills in Kilkenney Park. We descended on the century-old Cat’s Ladder path on a loop path back along the shoreline, past expensive view property and encountering a surprising number of swimmers for April in Ireland.
Below are highlights from April 16th, 2021. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.
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The Metals
Position: 53°17.10’N, -6°7.67’W
On “The Metals”, a 2-mile (3.5km) walkway from Dun Laoghaire to Dalkey. The walkway follows a railway originally constructed in 1817 to transport the huge granite blocks needed for the construction of the new harbour at Dun Laoghaire from the quarries around Dalkey. Horses pulled carriages ladden with up to 8 tonnes of granite over railway tracks laid along the route.
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St. Paul’s
Position: 53°16.91’N, -6°7.52’W
St. Paul’s church in Glenageary was completed in 1868.
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Dalkey Duck
Position: 53°16.68’N, -6°6.41’W
In normal times we’d definitely be up for a pint at the Dalkey Duck, one of several pubs we passed in Dalkey.
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Goat Castle
Position: 53°16.66’N, -6°6.32’W
Goat Castle dates to the early 1400s and is one of two remaining of the seven medieval castles built in Dalkey.
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Dalkey
Position: 53°16.65’N, -6°6.26’W
Blog reader Hans Neven recommended we visit Dalkey and we quite enjoyed the town.
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Dalkey Quarry
Position: 53°16.27’N, -6°6.42’W
Walking through Dalkey Quarry, where the huge stones that form the Dun Laoghaire harbour piers were cut.
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Climbers
Position: 53°16.27’N, -6°6.44’W
The old Dalkey Quarry is a popular rock-climbing destination. We saw at least a dozen climbers.
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Dun Laoghaire
Position: 53°16.26’N, -6°6.44’W
View to Dun Laoghaire Harbour from Dalkey Quarry where the stones to build the harbour were cut. This view gives an idea of the size of the huge 250-acre (101-hectare)protected area created by the wall. Dirona (not visible) is moored behind the inner protective walls at the far left.
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Dalkey Hill
Position: 53°16.22’N, -6°6.29’W
Climbing the steps from the Dalkey Quarry to the top of Dalkey Hill.
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Signal Tower
Position: 53°16.21’N, -6°6.32’W
Old signal tower at the top of Dalkey Hill, built in 1807, was one of 81 built along the Irish coast during the Napoleonic era to give early warning of a French invasion. We visited another at Brow Head on our previous trip to Ireland.
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Howth
Position: 53°16.20’N, -6°6.33’W
View to north to Howth from Dalkey Hill.
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Killiney Hill Park
Position: 53°16.05’N, -6°6.62’W
Walking to Kilinney Hill through Killiney Hill Park. The property was dedicated to the public in 1887 by Prince Albert Victor of Wales in memory of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, celebrating 50 years of her reign.
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Obelisk
Position: 53°15.94’N, -6°6.69’W
The obelisk atop Kilinney Hill was built in 1742 by a local landowner John Mapas. The purpose was to provide employment for the poor after a particularly harsh winter, since no other form of welfare existed. The structure was visible from East Pier where we walked the other day.
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Pyramid
Position: 53°15.94’N, -6°6.67’W
Jennifer posing atop the Killiney Hill pyramid, built in 1852 by then-landowner Robert Warren.
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Killiney Bay
Position: 53°15.93’N, -6°6.68’W
View north from Killiney Hill across a second obelisk to Killiney Bay, Sorrento Point and Dalkey Island. The large prominent white building is the Sorrento Terrace apartments. The rightmost unit sold in 2015 for €10.5 million, at the time the most expensive property in Dublin. We’ll be returning back to Dun Laoghaire along Vico Road, visible at upper left.
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Daedalus
Position: 53°15.98’N, -6°6.89’W
Copper statue of the Greek god Daedalus at the entrance to Killiney Park. The knees are polished from kids enjoying the statue.
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Bench
Position: 53°16.06’N, -6°6.44’W
Taking in another view to Killiney Bay from a path-side bench.
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Cat’s Ladder
Position: 53°16.19’N, -6°6.10’W
Taking the century-old Cat’s Ladder down from Killiney Hill to Vico Road. Named after the ladders used on steep roofs, it covers 127 ft (39m) of altitude in 237 steps.
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Hawk Cliff
Position: 53°16.20’N, -6°5.86’W
Hawk Cliff is one of several spectacular view homes along Vico Road.
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Fiat 20V Turbo
Position: 53°16.27’N, -6°5.66’W
With a 220-HP inline, 2-liter, 5-cylinder engine, the Fiat 20V Turbo has a top speed of 150 mph.
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Dalkey Island
Position: 53°16.33’N, -6°5.55’W
Martello Tower on Dalkey Island. Martello Towers take their name from Martelle Point in Corsica, Italy where in 1794 two small cannons mounted on top of a round tower fended off an attack by two British warships with a combined firepower of 106 guns. The British were so impressed that they built over 100 such towers around the south and east coasts of the British Isles in the early 1800s when Napoleon was building an invasion fleet.
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Cliff Castle
Position: 53°16.62’N, -6°5.83’W
Cliff Castle along Coliemore Road was originally built as a private home in the 1840s, was converted to a hotel, and once again is a private residence. It recently was put up for auction for €2.5 million.
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St. Patrick’s
Position: 53°16.94’N, -6°6.21’W
St. Patrick’s Church in Dalkey was built in 1843.
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The Forty Foot
Position: 53°17.30’N, -6°6.77’W
Swimmers jumping into the water at the Forty Foot, a popular swimming area. If you find the water a little too warm in April, you can take part in the annual Christmas Day swim here.
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James Joyce Museum
Position: 53°17.30’N, -6°6.77’W
The James Joyce Tower and Museum in another Martello tower in the Dublin area. Joyce spent six night here in 1904, where he set the opening scenes of his novel Ulysses.
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Sandycove Beach
Position: 53°17.31’N, -6°6.86’W
Dozens of people were out swimming at Sandy Cove beach near Dun Laoghaire on this sunny and warm April afternoon. It would have to get a lot warmer for us to want to take a dip.
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Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.
On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps. |
I always enjoy your blogs.This is a part of the world I am unlikely to travel. Keep ’em coming! Perhaps we will bump into you in Charleston.
Thanks for the feedback on the blog Bruce.
Wanted to just chime in and say how much i have enjoyed your videos and blog. Very nice on both accounts.
I thought I’d post a thought i had when i viewed your preparing your boat for the passage. When you used the tender to install the covers on the port side windows. Can you install studs ( lock tite) on the top and use nuts? This would allow you to hang the cover on the studs while mounting? Not sure if this will work with your application?
Again, thanks for all the great content you have provided.
Thanks for the feedback on the blog and our Youtube channel. Your idea of using studs would make the job of installing and removing storm plates much easier but there is a downside. The studs are sharp and would stick out slightly. On the port side, we probably could do it since there is no walkway on that side but we do sometimes dock on that side and don’t want a shart 1/4″ stud sticking out. But, yes, you’re right that it would make the plates much easier to manage. Thanks for the suggestion.