Three new eerie shipwrecks discovered off the coast of Dublin due to shifting sands
The wrecks appear to date from as far back as the 19th century but work is ongoing to unravel the mystery
Three new shipwrecks have been uncovered off the coast of Dublin.
The discovery came after local underwater photographer Nigel Motyer used a drone to capture aerial images of a wreck of what is likely the remains of a 19th-century fishing trawler, on Portmarnock Strand.
During its investigation, the National Monuments Service team also discovered three previously undocumented wrecks. The wrecks, which are in the process of being fully identified, appear to date from as far back as the 19th century.
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Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien, said: "This is a very exciting development. No doubt each of these shipwrecks has an important story to tell and we hope that, in time, we will learn more about them and the roles they have played in shaping our history.
"With a long-standing maritime legacy to celebrate and record, the important work of the National Monuments Service protects and preserves our underwater heritage, as evidenced by the 18,000 sites recorded in the Wreck Inventory of Ireland Database."
The NMS team has surveyed and photographed the wrecks, and ongoing analysis of the materials (for example, timber vs. metal), size, and construction style will help find answers as to the identity of the wrecks. Some 50 wrecks are recorded for the Portmarnock/Baldoyle area in the Wreck Inventory, identified through years of painstaking historical and archival research by the NMS. These range from 14th-century trading ships to 20th-century coal-boats. The physical remains of at least 13 of these vessels have been located.
Karl Brady, senior archaeologist with NMS who led the inspection, said: "Prolonged periods of wind from a particular direction move beach sands constantly and, in this case, had temporarily stripped the southern end of the beach of sand leading to the exposure of these wrecks. The newly-discovered wrecks are poorly preserved due to continuous tidal and storm action over the years. In general, while only the lower portions of the hulls and bow areas has survived, our team has identified timber frames, planking, metal knees, and even a metal winch/windlass system at the bow of one of the boats."
Research by NMS states that most of the vessels recorded off Portmarnock Strand were lost during bad or stormy weather. Mr Brady added: "Several of the ships, en route to Dublin, may have attempted to seek refuge in Howth Harbour during stormy conditions but failed to reach the safety of the harbour entrance and were compelled to run ashore on the strand, a desperate measure to save lives.
"Other ships, originating from ports on the west coast of Britain and bound for various global destinations, seem to have been unfortunate victims of stormy weather, driven ashore at Portmarnock, often at night. There is an unusually high number of wrecks in this location."
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