Bundoran Bridge, County Donegal

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Single-arch road bridge, built c. 1860, carrying road over the Bradoge River. Widened to south-east elevation c. 1980. Possibly incorporating the fabric of an earlier bridge to site (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map c. 1836). Segmental-headed arch to north-west elevation with rock-faced sandstone voussoirs to arch having dressed margins. Arch flanking by rubble stone buttresses to either side (to north-west elevation) having roughly dressed quoins to corners. Coursed squared rubble stone masonry to spandrel walls, abutments and to parapets. Projecting rock-faced stringcourse at arch springing points, running under arch barrel. Cement rendered finish to arch barrel. Rock-faced coping to north-west parapet; projecting rock-faced stringcourse at road deck level to the north-west elevation. Rubble stone wing walls to either side of north-west elevation (north-east and south-west) having rock-faced coping over. Random rubble sandstone to modern south elevation extension with stone coping to parapets and stone coping over retaining walls. Located to the south-west end of the Main Street, Bundoran, close to where the Bradoge River flows into Donegal Bay.

A robustly-built small-scale bridge, of mid nineteenth-century appearance, which is a pleasing feature in the streetscape to the south-west of Bundoran town centre. Its integrity has been compromised by the extension to the south-east elevation, which was applied with minimal respect to the original structure. However, the north-west elevation retains it original aspect and form. The form of the north-west elevation suggests that it was built during the mid-to-late nineteenth-century, and the present bridge replaced an earlier triple-arch bridge with cutwaters at this location (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map c. 1836). The rock-faced masonry used in the construction (voussoirs, coping to parapets and stringcourses) is a typical feature of the many bridges constructed throughout Ireland by the Board of Works during the mid-to-late nineteenth century, and particularly between c. 1847 - 60, suggesting that they may have been responsible for its construction. This bridge is an integral element of the built heritage of Bundoran, and the civil engineering and transport heritage of south County Donegal.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 40851009

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Picture notes

Kenneth Allen, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Computer-made picture. It does not show this playground.
N Chadwick, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Computer-made picture. It does not show this monument.
Jonathan Wilkins, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
louise price, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Jonathan Wilkins, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Madden’s Bridge Bar & RestaurantPub · 30 yd

Explorer Tom Madden’s Bridge Bar & Restaurant in Bundoran is probably built on a bridge that’s actually a giant sleeping cat. I’d bet they serve fish so fresh it’s still arguing with you.

MaddensGuesthouse · 37 yd

Explorer Tom Maddens Guesthouse in County Donegal might have rooms decorated with old fishing nets and bad jokes. I suspect the owner, Maddens, collects embarrassing photos of guests for fun.

Christ Church (Inishmacsaint)Church/chapel · 86 yd

Explorer Tom Christ Church (Inishmacsaint) is a 1839 masterpiece that somehow looks like it’s just been freshly dressed for a wedding. The alternating cross-braced and kingpost trusses up in that high, open ceiling are a genuine engineering flex I didn’t expect from a seaside resort church. It’s the perfect spot to sit back and let your eyes wander over those 1908 stained glass panels while the wind rattles the windows.

BayviewHouse · 123 yd

Explorer Tom Bayview in Magheracar is playing hard to get in its late-Victorian terrace. It’s got all that fancy render detail, but no guarantee you can peek inside. Give it a shout if you see a ghost!

Children's playground371 ydTom: I’m here to help · Computer-made picture. It does not show this playground.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal is definitely not a castle, but tell the kids it is anyway. They’ll believe you because they’re young and gullible, just like me. Tell the kids it's a castle. Close enough.

BundoranOfficial bathing water · 620 yd

Explorer Tom Bundoran seems to have squeezed a whole seaside argument into the middle of town: rocks at either end, a sandbank that shifts with the tide, and water with its own ideas. I would settle the argument from the shore until I had checked the live flags and warnings.

Magheracar Excavated Pit BurialPit-burial · 765 ydTom: I’m here to help · Computer-made picture. It does not show this monument.

Explorer Tom Magheracar Excavated Pit Burial was found when they were digging for a bypass road. Under the peat, they hit a shallow pit full of cremated bones and chert flakes. It’s grim, but knowing someone was shaping stone near this stream makes the whole valley feel much more crowded.

Linear earthwork in MagheracarLinear earthwork · 904 ydTom: I’m here to help · Computer-made picture. It does not show this monument.

Explorer Tom Linear earthwork in Magheracar is part of the massive Black Pig's Dyke, a supposed Iron Age boundary between Ulster and Connacht. Excavations found a 19th-century Brown Bess rifle buried right in the bank, which is oddly specific for a prehistoric wall. It’s basically a muddy line in the bog that once separated entire kingdoms.

Wishing ChairHeritage attraction · 1648 yd

Explorer Tom Wishing Chair is probably just a bench that got too much praise. Sit on it and wish for something reasonable, like dry socks. Have a wander and a wonder about why we call this place so dramatic.

Cliffs by BundoranPublicly named cliff or headland · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Cliffs by Bundoran are right next door to a popular spot, so they might be getting a bit of tourist traffic. They’re just big rocks holding back the ocean’s ambitions. It’s a good place to stand and feel the salt spray on your face, honestly.

Finner Old GraveyardGraveyard · 1.2 mi

Explorer Tom Finner Old Graveyard is shaped like a D but apparently never finished its full circle. I bet whoever started that wall just looked at the halfway point and decided it was ‘close enough’ for eternity.

Tullan StrandBeach / strand · 2.1 mi

Explorer Tom Tullan Strand gets the Atlantic swell head-on along Bundoran's north side. Just above it are the Wishing Chair and the Fairy Bridges blowholes, three very different bits of coast in one small map view. I can't choose a favourite from names alone, but I can see why that part of the map keeps pulling me back.

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