How old is Dublin Port?

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

Where was the original Dublin Port located?

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

How big is Dublin Port?

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Who owns Dublin Port?

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

What is Dublin Port Company?

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Name someone famous connected to Dublin Port?

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Is Dublin the largest Port in Ireland?

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

Who handles the Cargo in Dublin Port?

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Who is the Chief Executive of Dublin Port?

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Who is the Harbour Master of Dublin Port?

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

How many passengers come through Dublin Port each year?

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

How many cruise liners arrive in Dublin Port?

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

How many tonnes of exports were shipped by Dublin Port?

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

How many ships arrive at Dublin Port each year?

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

What is the total throughput of goods at Dublin Port?

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

How many tourist vehicles come through Dublin Port?

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

How many trade vehicles come through Dublin Port?

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Can pleasure craft enter Dublin Port?

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

What is the VHF Channel for Dublin Port control?

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

Is there a Dublin Bay webcam?

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here

What is Dublin Port’s 'distributed museum'?

Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City. A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together. The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay. For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports: Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km. Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill. Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022. Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years. The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project. The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances. It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill. This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces. The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour

17th February 2013

Tanks for Guinness Arrive in Dun Laoghaire Harbour

#DunLaoghaire – Last night the Dutch-flagged Myrte (6,120 tonnes) docked in Dun Laoghaire Harbour loaded with fermentation tanks bound for Guinness, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 10 X 30 tons fermentation tanks are to be discharged during the week and installed in Diageo's Guinness (St. James Gate) plant. The historic city-centre brewery's fermentation plant is to be refurbished as part of a major investment.

The 122m cargoship berthed alongside the former conventional ferry (mail) boat Carlisle Pier, from where the cargo will be taken by road convoy, but travelling overnight to avoid traffic and minimise disruption.

This delivery is part of a 'project' cargo as a further two shipments are scheduled, however it has been many years since cargoships have called to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

In the late 1980's/early 90's there were relatively frequent calls undertaken by 'reefer' ships, vessels equipped with refrigeration capability carrying perishable products.

Some vessels were instead of the ro-ro design, this allowed refrigerated freight-trailers to be driven onboard the ship which berthed at the port's ferry ramp linkspan.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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13th December 2012

Ten Cruise Liners Due for Dun Laoghaire Harbour, including Queen Mary II

##cruiseliner – 10 cruise ships are expected in Dún Laoghaire in 2013 bringing an esitmated 10,000 visitors to the east coast town according to Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. The world famous Queen Mary II will be one of the first arrivals in to Dublin Bay and Dún Laoghaire on May 16th 2013. Cunard Line's flagship Queen Mary 2 previously docked at Cobh in 2011. The 148,528 tonnes giant liner cost €549m and she is the only true 'liner' operating in the world today as she on occasions provides scheduled trans-Atlantic sailings between Southampton and New York. More on the Queen Mary II.

Published in Cruise Liners

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22nd August 2012

Take a Stroll with a Dún Laoghaire Seafront Memorial Tour

#SEAFRONT TOURS – Take in the sea-air while getting to know some historical landmarks, along Dun Laoghaire Harbour's waterfront with the Seafront Memorials Tour. The free guided tour runs every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials to include the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

Published in Coastal Notes

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18th August 2012

Bad Weather Forces Tallship to Abandon Final Race Leg

#TALL SHIPS – The first of the Tall Ships has arrived, the barque STS Pogoria, an A-class tallship which berthed in Dun Loaghaire Harbour this afternoon, albeit earlier than expected due to bad weather, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The steel hulled 49m long vessel encountered bad weather in the Bay of Biscay, while taking part in the final race leg from Coruna, where on Thursday night, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the official finishing line was off Tuskar Rock.

She made her entrance to Dublin Bay, albeit without setting sail and as she motored passed the Kish Lighthouse, she set a course for the South Burford buoy near Dalkey Island. She then headed for Dun Laoghaire rather then Dublin, from where a pilot cutter departed to board the vessel.

STS Pogoria was built for the Steel Workers Union in 1980 and her current status as 'flagship' of The Sail Training Association which is based in Gdansk, and from where she was built. She has a crew of 11 officers and a trainee crew of around 40 personnel.

Over the next few days the fleet of tallships numbering more than 40 vessels, are to arrive in Dublin Port. The next caller is expected to be the Ecuadorian Navy's sail-training ship Guayas with an ETA of 18.00hrs today. The tallship is also rigged as a barque, yet she is considerably larger, measuring nearly 80m in length and a crew complement of 112 officers and 63 trainees.

Published in Tall Ships

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16th August 2012

Take a stroll along Dún Laoghaire with the Seafront Memorials Tour

#SEAFRONT TOURS – Now that the bad weather that covered half of the country is behind us, the forecast at least for Dublin and next Saturday is more promising. So why not consider taking a stroll with the sea-air along the waterfront in Dun Laoghaire Harbour and learn some local history by taking a Seafront Memorials Tour. The free guided tour runs every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials along the harbour's waterfront including the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

Published in Coastal Notes

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10th August 2012

Dún Laoghaire Seafront Memorials Tour

#SEAFRONT TOURS – With glorious weather hopefully holding, seize the opportunity by taking the sea-air and learn at the same time. Sounds like a good combination, so why not consider joining the Seafront Memorials Tour which is a guided tour in Dun Laoghaire Harbour running every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials along the harbour's waterfront including the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

Published in Coastal Notes

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3rd August 2012

Dún Laoghaire Seafront Memorials Tour

#SEAFRONT TOURS – Another weekend and a chance to take in the fresh sea-air while learning at the same time. Sounds like a good combination, so why not consider joining the Seafront Memorials Tour which is a guided tour in Dun Laoghaire Harbour which runs every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials along the harbour's waterfront including the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

Published in Coastal Notes

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10th July 2012

French Marine Research Yacht On Visit to Dun Laoghaire Harbour

#MARINE RESEARCH YACHT– The 36m French marine biology research yacht Tara, skippered by Loic Valette, sailed under motor-power into Dun Laoghaire Harbour from Lorient this afternoon, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The two-master is operated by Tara Expeditions which is a non-profit organisation which aims to learn more about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. She has travelled extensively on expeditions to both poles and throughout the world and where the organsiation have collected samples and data to the scientific community.

The port of call is so that she can take part in the Dublin 'City of Science 2012' festival.

Tara will be moored alongside the harbour's East Pier during tomorrow and Thursday, where the public are invited on board to tour the vessel on a first come first served basis. Opening times on both days are between 1-7pm and taken in small groups, noting limited accessibility. Crew will provide guided tours of the class B aluminium built yacht once owned by Jean-Louis Etienne and Sir Peter Blake. For further details click HERE.

As previously reported, the Marine Institute's RV Celtic Explorer docked in Dublin Port today in advance of the ESOF 2012 conference which is the highlight of the year-long science festival. For information visit www.dublinscience2012.ie

Published in Marine Science

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26th June 2012

French Scientific Schooner to Visit Dun Laoghaire Harbour

#MARINE SCIENCE TALLSHIP- As part of Dublin City of Science 2012, a 'Science in the City' festival (6-15 July) is to include the French scientific expedition schooner Tara, which is to receive a welcoming flotilla on her arrival to Dun Laoghaire Harbour on 10th July, writes Jehan Ashmore.

At only 36m long, the Tara is unique vessel in that she is used for scientific discovery and adventure purposes, as otherwise most such vessels are larger motorships. The schooner is run by the French based non-profit organisation Tara Expeditions that provides samples and data to the scientific community worldwide.

She has accomplished eight expeditions – to the Antarctica, Arctic, Greenland, Patagonia, southern Georgia and throughout the rest of the world. Before her scientific adventure role she was owned by Jean-Louis Etienne and Sir Peter Blake.

Tara Expeditions aim to learn more about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. One of the core objectives is to increase environmental awareness among the general public, and particularly young people through their Tara Junior outreach programme.

She is to be open to the public at her mooring at the harbour's East Pier where her crew will provide guided tours on the 11th and 12th June. Visits on a first come first served basis (between 11am-6pm) where 3 to 4 groups numbering between 8-12 people will be accommodated.

Published in Marine Science

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13th May 2012

Cruiseship's Return Consolidates New Business

#CRUISE CALLER – The small expedition cruiseship Quest made a return port of call to Dun Laoghaire Harbour early this morning, having inaugurated the season last month, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 50m long vessel operated by Noble Caledonia carries 52 passengers and a crew of 25 had sailed overnight from Holyhead. She departed the Anglesey port at 20.00hrs and she took a leisurely 10-hour passage to cross the 60 nautical mile Irish Sea route.

Her visit to Dun Laoghaire today will provide her passengers to visit Powerscourt and Mount Usher Gardens in Co. Wicklow as part of a Garden themed cruise throughout destinations in the UK and Ireland.

On this occasion she is taking the cruise in reverse direction having previously made a southbound circuit starting at Oban and ending in Poole.

Likewise to her call nearly three weeks ago, she is moored alongside Carlisle Pier, which is designated berth number two out of a total five berths that are used for commercial vessels.

Published in Cruise Liners

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