View of Ringsend, 1904
This photograph by Weston St. John Joyce, featured in his book The Neighbourhood of Dublin, shows what Ringsend was like in 1904.
View of Ringsend, 1904
View of Ringsend, 1904
This photograph by Weston St. John Joyce, featured in his book The Neighbourhood of Dublin, shows what Ringsend was like in 1904.
Ringsend was once the principal mail packet station for communication between Ireland and Great Britain. Weston St. John Joyce tells how, until the 1800s, Ringsend was a picturesque place where people could bathe and enjoy the sun. It was popular with city folk who wished to enjoy the sea air while remaining close to the town. By 1816, however, it had greatly deteriorated and one visitor described it as 'a vile, filthy and disgraceful looking village'.
For many hundreds of years, Ringsend was difficult to access. It was cut off from the city by the sea, the River Dodder and a marshy swamp. A special vehicle known as a 'ringsend car' was needed to cross the marshy ground.
Entrance to the Pigeon House Fort, 1895
The Pigeon House Fort stood across the bay from Ringsend. An electricity power station now stands on the site of the fort. The station has become part of the Dublin landscape, as its two red-and-white, candy-striped towers are familiar landmarks.
Entrance to the Pigeon House Fort, 1895
Entrance to the Pigeon House Fort, 1895
The Pigeon House Fort stood across the bay from Ringsend. An electricity power station now stands on the site of the fort. The station has become part of the Dublin landscape, as its two red-and-white, candy-striped towers are familiar landmarks.
Across the bay from Ringsend, where the electricity power station now stands, there was once a building known as the Pigeon House. The port authorities erected this massive wooden house in about 1750 to serve as a watchhouse and place of refuge for boats that were forced ashore in bad weather conditions.
The caretaker of the house is said to have been called Pigeon, and it was from him that the building took its name. People liked to row between Ringsend and the Pigeonhouse in summer. It grew into a lucrative business for Pigeon, and soon he was well known across Dublin. The site was later turned into a fort until it was finally demolished in 1897. However, the Pigeon House is not forgotten, as there is a road bearing its name in Ringsend