Bullock Harbour

Bullock Harbour or Bulloch Harbour (Irish: Cuan Bhlóic)[1] is a small working harbour located near the heritage town of Dalkey on the southeast coast of Dublin Bay in Ireland.

Bulloch Harbour, Dalkey, Co. Dublin. Photo courtesy of www.dalkeyphotos.com

The current harbour quay and walls were constructed of local granite[2] in the early 19th century where previously a rocky inlet had provided a natural harbour.[3] Bullock Harbour is the subject of a specific local objective (SLO22) in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's county development plan.[4]

History

Bullock, a small fishing village, has been known to many races, since pre-Christian Druids first built a standing stone circle here (since quarried to build the Martello towers). The name is said to derive from the Scandinavian for "Blue Haven" and again from the Gaelic word for a tidal blow hole which existed in the rocks. The land at Bullock was given to the Cistercian monks by an Irish king 'beyond the memory of man'. Fishing rights came with the land and it was to protect these lucrative fisheries from the Wicklow tribes that Bullock Castle was built in the 12th century and around the castle grew up a tiny town, completely walled and protected at intervals by towers.[2]

Name

The name of the harbour and castle has variously been called Bullock, Bulloch, Bloyke and Bullog.[5]

Location

Bulloch Harbour is located at the Sandycove (northern) end of Harbour Road in Dalkey, County Dublin. Bulloch Castle, an imposing Norman structure, overlooks the harbour which is ten minutes walk from Dalkey Dart Station.

Harbour activities

There are two businesses offering boats for hire for fishing, sightseeing or to visit Dalkey Island, about a kilometre away.[6] Lobster and crabs are harvested when weather permits, and mackerel is fished for in season.

Marine leisure activities include kayaking,[7] sea scouts,[8] sea fishing and angling,[9] and rock climbing.[10]

View of Bullock Harbour inlet from the north, near James Joyce's tower in Sandycove

Wildlife

A family of seals live at the harbour and like being fed by local children and tourists. Common and bottleneck dolphins have been reported in the vicinity. The diversity of marine flora and fauna reflects that of the Dalkey coastline.[11]

References
  1. Bullock Harbour. Placenames Database of Ireland. retrieved: 2010-01-11.
  2. "Bullock, Dalkey, through the Ages - History". www.dalkeyhomepage.ie. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. "National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Lost to Time and Tide".
  4. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan 2016. Dublin: DLR CoCo. 2016. pp. section 9.
  5. Samuel Lewis, 'A topographical dictionary of the parishes towns and villages of Dublin City and County'
  6. "Attractions Dublin | Things to do in Dublin | Dublin Ireland Attractions |". Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  7. "Kayaking Ireland".
  8. "Dalkey Sea Scouts".
  9. "Fishing in Ireland: Dublin Sea Fishing Map".
  10. "Bullock Harbour - Irish Climbing OnLine".
  11. "Dalkey Tidy Towns - Wildlife & images & with links to monthly newsletters". www.dalkeytidytowns.com. Retrieved 15 March 2017.

53.28533°N 6.10785°W / 53.28533; -6.10785

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