This is my letter to Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company in response to their public consultation to put a new dock in the harbour to accomodate super sized cruise ships. Sent by email to info@dlharbour.ie 13 April 2015.
Dear Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company
I welcome the regular sized cruise ships coming in to Dún Laoghaire harbour. I notice from your website there will be 22 of these ships expected this year, bringing up to 100,000 passengers and crew to the town. I hope this can continue with Dún Laoghaire becoming the "port of choice" for the more modestly sized ships into the future. It makes eminent sense to develop the town as a thriving suburb of Dublin with all the advantages of its maritime location (outdoor activities both on and off the sea) combined with small town friendliness and community spirit. Dún Laoghaire is a very special place.
However, I am writing to object to your proposal to radically change the both the structure of the harbour and its use in order to accommodate super sized cruise ships. (as outlined in your public consultation document).
Dún Laoghaire harbour wasn't built for super sized cruise ships. Placing a 430m quay in the centre of the harbour to accommodate these enormous ships (towering ships which will extend well beyond the quay when berthed), in my opinion, will destroy its natural open shape. The granite piers, built almost two hundred years ago, are without a doubt the most beautiful part of the built environment in the town. They create a safe harbour for a thriving sailing community that would be seriously compromised by splitting and dominating the harbour with such a new dock. But more importantly the hundreds, if not thousands, who walk the piers every day to enjoy the quiet open and uninterrupted majesty of this Victorian harbour, will have suffered a terrible loss.
I propose that Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council chooses instead to put their energy into ensuring that Dún Laoghaire becomes one of the top ten tourist attractions for all visitors to Dublin (and Irish people), no matter how they arrived – on a plane, a train, a car, a boat or a bicycle. Keep it as a working town primarily, but a most welcoming one to visitors from abroad with its unique maritime actives along with the flagship new library and stunning views of the pier.
I propose that Dún Laoghaire offers an improved tendering service to these larger cruise ships with a facility for boat excursions along the coast (Dalkey island, Forty Foot etc) followed by visits to the town – arranged in pick ups from the liners out in Dublin Bay.
I propose that we develop Dún Laoghaire with sensitivity and imagination to make it one of the most beautiful ports in the world.
Kind regards
Alison Hackett
Resident of Dún Laoghaire
(Author & Curator of The Visual Time Traveller: 500 Years of History Art and Science in 100 Unique Designs. Founder of 21st Century Renaissance)
Read Guest blog by Rear Admiral Lunchalot in response to this letter
Read An American visitor's thoughts in response to this letter
See some pictures of the harbour taken from the East pier on a still sunny evening (14 April 2015)
More about the history of Dún Laoghaire harbour
Dear Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company
I welcome the regular sized cruise ships coming in to Dún Laoghaire harbour. I notice from your website there will be 22 of these ships expected this year, bringing up to 100,000 passengers and crew to the town. I hope this can continue with Dún Laoghaire becoming the "port of choice" for the more modestly sized ships into the future. It makes eminent sense to develop the town as a thriving suburb of Dublin with all the advantages of its maritime location (outdoor activities both on and off the sea) combined with small town friendliness and community spirit. Dún Laoghaire is a very special place.
However, I am writing to object to your proposal to radically change the both the structure of the harbour and its use in order to accommodate super sized cruise ships. (as outlined in your public consultation document).
Dún Laoghaire harbour wasn't built for super sized cruise ships. Placing a 430m quay in the centre of the harbour to accommodate these enormous ships (towering ships which will extend well beyond the quay when berthed), in my opinion, will destroy its natural open shape. The granite piers, built almost two hundred years ago, are without a doubt the most beautiful part of the built environment in the town. They create a safe harbour for a thriving sailing community that would be seriously compromised by splitting and dominating the harbour with such a new dock. But more importantly the hundreds, if not thousands, who walk the piers every day to enjoy the quiet open and uninterrupted majesty of this Victorian harbour, will have suffered a terrible loss.
I propose that Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council chooses instead to put their energy into ensuring that Dún Laoghaire becomes one of the top ten tourist attractions for all visitors to Dublin (and Irish people), no matter how they arrived – on a plane, a train, a car, a boat or a bicycle. Keep it as a working town primarily, but a most welcoming one to visitors from abroad with its unique maritime actives along with the flagship new library and stunning views of the pier.
I propose that Dún Laoghaire offers an improved tendering service to these larger cruise ships with a facility for boat excursions along the coast (Dalkey island, Forty Foot etc) followed by visits to the town – arranged in pick ups from the liners out in Dublin Bay.
I propose that we develop Dún Laoghaire with sensitivity and imagination to make it one of the most beautiful ports in the world.
Kind regards
Alison Hackett
Resident of Dún Laoghaire
(Author & Curator of The Visual Time Traveller: 500 Years of History Art and Science in 100 Unique Designs. Founder of 21st Century Renaissance)
Read Guest blog by Rear Admiral Lunchalot in response to this letter
Read An American visitor's thoughts in response to this letter
See some pictures of the harbour taken from the East pier on a still sunny evening (14 April 2015)
More about the history of Dún Laoghaire harbour