Overview
Poolbeg is an artificial peninsula reaching out from Ringsend into Dublin Bay, and its point is one of the few places in the city where you can stand with open water on both sides. At the end of it, at the tip of the Great South Wall, stands the cherry-red Poolbeg Lighthouse. The walk out is a straight, wind-scoured granite causeway that swaps traffic for breaking waves, passing container ships close enough to read their names. It’s free and open at all hours.
History and industrial heritage
The wall came before the land. Work began around 1715 with a line of timber piles driven across the South Bull sandbank to hold back the silt that was choking the Liffey’s mouth; the stone wall that replaced them was finished in 1795, and at the time it was the longest sea wall in the world. The granite was quarried nearby and laid by hand.
The lighthouse went up in 1767 and first shone in 1768, burning candles – it’s thought to be the first candlepower lighthouse in the world – before switching to oil in 1786. The rebuild of 1820 gave it the shape and, later, the red paint you see now, red marking the port side for ships coming in. It’s still an active light, automated and run by Dublin Port Company, and the tower itself is closed to the public.
The land behind grew into Dublin’s power district. The old Pigeon House station gave way to the Poolbeg Power Station, whose two red-and-white chimneys top 207 metres and remain among the tallest structures in Ireland. The plant wound down in 2010 and the chimneys were slated for demolition, but a public campaign saved them; they were listed as protected structures in 2014 and have become the unofficial marker of the south city skyline.
The Great South Wall walk
Two ways out:
- Short route: from the Pigeon House Road car park, a 4 km round trip of about 40 to 60 minutes. Flat, quick, good for families.
- Long route: from Sandymount Strand, a 10 to 11 km round trip of two hours or more, taking in the tidal sands and grassland before the wall.
The causeway is level but the old granite slabs are uneven and go greasy when wet, there are no railings, and the wind rarely lets up. Check the tide: at high water the sea washes over parts of the outer wall. This is not a walk for wheelchairs or buggies past the point where the smooth path ends, and it isn’t one to do after dark – there’s no lighting, and in 2016 a man drowned here after tripping on a raised grate near the end (since removed). Wear sturdy, flat shoes with grip, and take the wet stone seriously.
What to see and do
- Poolbeg Lighthouse – the red tower against grey sea and sky is the shot everyone comes for; softest light is sunrise, most dramatic is sunset behind the city.
- Poolbeg Chimneys – best framed from halfway along the wall or from the shore at Irishtown Nature Park.
- Wildlife – cormorants, herons, gulls and terns work the bay; grey seals haul out on the rocks by the lighthouse and porpoises surface in the channel now and then.
- Shellybanks Beach – a small sandy cove near the start of the short walk, good for sitting out of the wind.
- Coffee – in season and at weekends, Mr Hobbs’ coffee truck usually parks near the wall entrance.
Practical information
Getting there
- By car: the Pigeon House Road car park is closest but small and gone by late morning on sunny weekends; Shellybanks Car Park nearby has a bit more room. For the long walk, park along Sandymount Strand.
- Public transport: DART to Sandymount for the long route, or a bus to Ringsend and walk in to the wall.
- By bike: cycle lanes run along Sean Moore Road, but the granite paving isn’t rideable – most people lock up and walk the last stretch.
Facilities and safety
- No toilets, bins or shops on the wall; the nearest are at Sandymount Strand and Irishtown Nature Park.
- The site is open 24 hours, but see the safety note above – this is a daytime, dry-weather walk at heart.
- Dogs are welcome on a lead.
Nearby
- Irishtown Nature Park – a 12-hectare reserve of woodland and pond just inland, with good birdwatching.
- Sandymount Strand – the wide, shallow beach that starts the long walk.
- Ringsend village – old harbour pubs a few minutes inland, the obvious place to thaw out after the wind.
If you only do one thing, time the short walk for the half-hour before sunset: the light goes pink over the bay, the chimneys catch it, and the red lighthouse lines up against the city on the way back.