The first 'modern' maps of Ireland were drawn up in the 19th century by teams of surveyors (mainly military - hence the 'Ordnance' Survey). Soldiers spent weeks at a time on remote mountain tops, waiting for the right weather conditions to allow them to accurately measure angles and distances between high points. The trigonometric platforms which were used as the starting points for these maps can be seen on most of Ireland's highest mountains today.
Ordnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) is the the government organisation that is responsible for mapping in Ireland. They use many different types of technology to create their maps and these are produced in digital form on a computer as well as on paper. Click on the image to get a birds-eye view of the Pollaphuca Reservoir in Co. Wicklow.
Ordnance Survey Ireland creates maps of everything from towns, cities and country areas for such purposes as road building, fishing and hill-walking.