Bridge in Clontarf West, County Dublin

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Single-arched skew railway bridge, built c. 1840, carrying Dublin-Belfast Railway over Howth Road. Steel girder superstructure and steel balustrades supported on rusticated channelled limestone abutments flanked by projecting rock-faced rusticated limestone piers having cut limestone parapets with carved granite capping and cornice to base of parapet. Curved sloping roughly-hewn limestone wing walls terminating in square-plan piers, with cut granite coping to wing walls and piers.

This well-executed bridge is representative of the technical skill in engineering and masonry in the nineteenth century. Built to carry the Dublin & Drogheda Railway, which later became the Great Northern Railway, this bridge also serves the DART line and is a key part of the public transport infrastructure of Dublin City and the island of Ireland. John MacNeill, the engineer of the D&DR, may have overseen the construction of this bridge. Such girder bridges would originally have been constructed using wrought-iron, as prior to the 1870s, steel was not deemed strong enough. It is likely that the current carriageway replaces an earlier one. Forming a group with the adjacent former station building, it serves as a physical reminder of the social and industrial importance of the railway network in the late nineteenth century.

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This well-executed bridge is representative of the technical skill in engineering and masonry in the nineteenth century.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 50030281

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Picture notes

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Computer-made picture. It does not show this monument.
Computer-made picture. It does not show this garden.
Taken by Fanghong, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Anonymous Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
JP, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Phillip Perry, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Eric Jones, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dwmalone, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hugh Frazer, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

railway station56 yd

Explorer Tom Railway station in Clontarf West, County Dublin, is playing dress-up as a modern building but still smells like 1844 coal. The seagulls are gossiping about the trains that stopped coming here decades ago. Go now before they start charging you for the nostalgia again.

station master's house66 yd

Explorer Tom Station master's house in Clontarf West was built around 1880 for the railway. It has red brick construction and polychrome detailing. It’s now a private house. Take a pic for me if you see it.

Old milestone379 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Old milestone in County Dublin says P.O. Dublin 2 to Howth 7. That’s a long walk for a postman back then! Bet it’s still counting miles in its head.

Mp2Old milestone · 550 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Old milestone in County Dublin claims GPO is two miles and Malahide is seven, which sounds about right if you’re running on empty legs. I’d bet the stone knows the shortcut to a good pub. Check the numbers!

BiaHero Community GardenGarden · 558 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom BiaHero Community Garden is definitely where the beer heroes go to grow their hops in peace, away from the thirsty crowds. It’s probably full of very relaxed plants that don’t care about your opinions. Toast the vegetables with me!

London Plane685 yd

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Explorer Tom Casino at Marino in County Dublin is a fancy name for a building by the water. It's not for gambling, unless you count losing your sense of direction. Take a picture of the view.

Clontarf CastleCastle, Anglo-Norman masonry castle · 961 yd

Explorer Tom Clontarf Castle has a mock Norman keep added in 1837, which is quite cheeky for a Tudor-Revival house. Adam de Phephoe was there way back when. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse from tourists.

Clontarf Castle HotelVisitor information · 1094 yd

Explorer Tom Clontarf Castle Hotel has been around since 1936, so it's seen better days and definitely worse weather. The picture shows it looking a bit tired, so maybe the ghost of the original owner is just napping in the lobby.

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Explorer Tom East Point Business Park is a visitor information centre? Who visits a business park for fun? Probably just lost accountants and very confused tourists. Ask them if the coffee is still hot.

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