Skerries coastal walk

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24th March - Skerries #heygo http://www.heygo.com

Skerries is a small seaside fishing town in Fingal. The name comes from the Norse word ‘skere’ which became the Irish ‘na sceirí’ which means ‘the rocks’.

Historically, Skerries was an active fishing port and later a major centre of hand embroidery, while in the 20th century, it became a resort town, and a dormitory town for Dublin commuters.

The two Martello towers in Skerries at Red Island and Shenick Island are part of a chain of such towers constructed in the early 19th century. They were to serve as protection from Napoleonic French armies (In the scenario of an invasion) and as an early warning system for attacks.



Our stroll today was along The South Beach which is a 2.5 kilometre stretch of beach

As we strolled our guide told us a few stories about Skerries.



The Irish designer who embroidered Jill Biden's inauguration dress, coat and face mask is from Skerries.



The R.N.L.I. established a lifeboat in Skerries in 1854, although there had been a lifeboat there prior to this, established by the forerunner of the R.N.L.I. Kalanne O’Leary, a resident of Skerries, has the distinction of being the first woman ever to become a crew member of an R.N.L.I. lifeboat.



In 2013 a memorial to many ships and lives lost off the coast of Skerries in north Dublin was unveiled.

Known locally as the “totem pole”, the sea pole had been used by the Coast Guard as a viewing platform and was part of key life-saving equipment to help rescue people from stricken ships.

It fell into disrepair and was removed for safety reasons.

A community campaign, initiated on Facebook by designer Shane Holland, led to its reinstatement. The pole is inscribed with the names of people and ships lost at sea, and forms one of Ireland’s largest registers of marine victims, comprising ships, fishermen, U-boats, sailors, swimmers, rescuers and wartime maritime casualties from 12 nations over 250 years.



A monument by sculptor and Skerries resident in December 2017, honouring Skerries Tidy Towns National win in 2016.

This is a 4.3 metre structure is based on the National Tidy Towns Trophy which was originally designed by Shane Holland in 2006 in a competitive design competition. The design concept has 4 individual with patterns is based on Water, Heritage, Built environment, and Plant life.



Therecare 2 Martello Towers in Skerries, a perfect vantage point for keeping an eye on the coast from unwanted invaders. There were approximately 50 of these towers built along the Irish coastline by the British in the early 1800s. These were the first line of defense against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The name ‘Martello’ is thought to be a corruption of Mortella, a place in Corsica where a fortified tower was used to resist British forces during 1793. The British were so impressed with its design that they copied it and used the same design all over the Commonwealth. Over time these towers have passed into private ownership or have been converted for other uses. The tower on Red Island was used as a ballroom in the 1920s. The tower we saw today is unfortunately closed at the present time.

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