Search Wikipedia

Cork Harbour

Cork Harbour (Irish: Cuan Chorcaí)[2] is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of
the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of
"second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Jackson,
Sydney).[3] Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, Trincomalee Harbour in
Sri Lanka and Poole Harbour in England.

The harbour has been a working port and a

strategic defensive hub for centuries, and it
Cork Harbour
has been one of Ireland's major employment
hubs since the early 1900s. Traditional
heavy industries have waned since the late
20th century, with the likes of the closure of
Irish Steel in Haulbowline and shipbuilding
at Verolme. It still has major and strategic
significance in energy generation, shipping,
refining and pharmaceuticals.[4]
Upper Cork Harbour from Blackrock Castle

Contents

Population

Cork City is located slightly upstream on the

River Lee on the northwest corner of Cork
Harbour. Several of the city's suburbs, Location Cork
including Blackrock, Mahon, Douglas,
Coordinates 51°51′N 8°16′W
Passage West and Rochestown lie on Lough
Mahon or the Douglas Estuary, both of River sources River Lee
which are parts of Upper Cork Harbour.
Ocean/sea Celtic Sea
sources
The Lower Harbour has a number of towns
around its shores. Passage West, Basin countries Ireland
Monkstown, Ringaskiddy and the smaller
village of Raffeen are found on the western Settlements Cork
shore. On the southwestern shore is
Crosshaven. Great Island, which forms the
Ramsar Wetland
northern shore of the lower harbour, houses
the town of Cobh. As of 2011, Cobh had a Designated 7 June 1996
population of about 12,500.[5] The eastern
Reference no. 837[1]
shore is less densely populated, but has
two villages Whitegate and Aghada, both
home to power plants.

The village of Ballinacurra is on the northeastern spur of the harbour, known as the
Ballynacorra River. Due to the recent expansion of the town of Midleton, Ballinacurra has
effectively become a suburb of Midleton, so it could also be said that Midleton lies on Cork
Harbour.

Military

Cork Harbour hosts the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service. Prior to the transfer of the
treaty ports in 1938, Cork Harbour was an important base for the British Royal Navy.

Some of the first coastal defence fortifications built in

Cork Harbour date to the 17th century, and were primarily
intended to protect the approaches to Cork City. In the
18th century, fortifications were built on and opposite
Haulbowline Island to protect the anchorage in Cobh -
including Cove Fort (1743). Fort Camden and Fort
Carlisle were built at opposite sides of the harbour
entrance during the period of the American War of
Independence.

The harbour's military significance increased during the

Plan of lower harbour showing
Napoleonic Wars, when the naval establishment in location to main military
Kinsale was transferred to Cork Harbour. The harbour installations: (A) Haulbowline Naval
Base, (B) Fort
became an important anchorage, which could be used to
Mitchel/Westmoreland, (C) Fort
guard the entrance to the English Channel and maintain Meagher/Camden, (D) Fort
the blockade of France. At this time, the naval dockyard Davis/Carlisle, (E) Fort
Templebreedy
on Haulbowline Island was constructed, as well as a fort
on Spike Island (later to become Fort Westmoreland) and
a number of Martello Towers and other fortifications were
added or improved around the harbour.

The fortifications were developed throughout the 19th

century[6] and a further fort, Fort Templebreedy, was
added to the south of Fort Camden at the beginning of The fortifications of Camden Fort
the 20th century. At the time of Irish independence, Cork Meagher overlook the entrance to
Cork Harbour.
Harbour was included, along with Berehaven and Lough
Swilly, in a list of British naval establishments that would
remain under the control of the Royal Navy, although the naval dockyard on Haulbowline
Island was handed over to the Irish Free State in 1923.

Although the Royal Navy appreciated the location of Cork Harbour, particularly for
submarines, which had a significantly shorter range in the 1920s, maintenance of the
fortifications became an issue after Ireland became independent.

The political uncertainty over the future of the treaty

ports meant that the British government was not inclined
to invest in their upgrade. Also, at the time of their
construction, nobody had considered the possibility of air
attack and as they were unable to expand, there was no
possibility of adding adequate air cover. Finally, if the
Irish Free State was hostile during any conflict, the treaty
A six-inch coastal defence gun on ports would have to be supplied by sea rather than land,
Spike Island protecting the mouth of
the harbour. wasting resources. In March 1938, the British
government announced that the treaty ports would be
handed over unconditionally, and on 11 July 1938, the defences at Cork Harbour were
handed over to the Irish military authorities at a ceremony attended by Taoiseach Éamon de
Valera.

Since being handed over to the Irish military, most of the military installations have ceased
to be used for military purposes. Fort Carlisle was renamed Fort Davis and is used by the
Defence Forces for training - but is in a somewhat neglected state. Fort Camden became
officially known as Fort Meagher and while no longer in military use, has been subject to
renovation by local volunteers and enthusiasts, and can be visited by the public on certain
days. The fort was officially renamed as of 11 July 2013 as Camden Fort Meagher, to
account for both its British military and Irish military history. Locally, the two forts are
sometimes known as "Camden" and "Carlisle", rather than their official titles. Fort
Westmoreland became Fort Mitchell Spike Island prison, and has since ceased use for
military or prison purposes. "Spike" was gifted to Cork County Council by the State and has
been renovated as a tourist attraction by council workers and volunteers under the
supervision of archaeologists. The fortifications on Haulbowline Island however have been
maintained, and are now the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service.

Industry

Cork Harbour is one of the most important industrial areas in Ireland. While several
traditional industries such as shipbuilding at Verolme Dockyards, steel-making on
Haulbowline Island and fertiliser manufacturing at IFI (Irish Fertiliser Industries) have
ceased in recent years, they have been replaced with newer industries and Cork Harbour is
now significant within the pharmaceutical industry. Large international firms such as Pfizer,
Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and Janssen Pharmaceutica (a subsidiary of Johnson &
Johnson) are significant employers in the region. There has however been some concern
since the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, as several of the pharmaceutical companies
in Cork have shed jobs, notably Pfizer which announced the loss of 177 jobs in June
2012.[7] There are in excess of 100 other pharmaceutical firms operating in the Cork
Harbour area. The main centres of the pharmaceutical industry are Little Island and
Ringaskiddy. Ireland's only oil refinery is located at Whitegate on the southeastern shore.

Marine activity

Commercial
Further information: Port of Cork

Historically, the navigation and port facilities of the

harbour were managed by the Cork Harbour
Commissioners. Founded in 1814, the Cork Harbour
Commissioners were reorganised as the Port of Cork
Company in 1997.[8]

Vessels up to 90,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT) are

capable of coming through the harbour entrance. As the
Map of Cork Harbour, ca. 1702
shipping channels get shallower the farther inland one
travels, access becomes constricted, and only vessels up
to 60,000 DWT can sail above Cobh.

The Port of Cork provides pilotage and towage facilities

for vessels entering Cork Harbour. All vessels accessing
the quays in Cork City must be piloted and all vessels
exceeding 130 metres in length must be piloted once
they pass within 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) of the The Swansea – Cork ferry docks at
Ringaskiddy.
harbour entrance at a point marked by the Spit Bank
Lighthouse which is the landmark boundary for compulsory pilotage.[9][10][11]

The Port of Cork has berthing facilities at Cork City, Tivoli, Cobh and Ringaskiddy. The
facilities in Cork City are primarily used for grain and oil transport. Tivoli (downstream of
the older city quays) provides container handling, facilities for oil, livestock and ore and a
roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ramp. Prior to the opening of Ringaskiddy Ferry Port, car ferries
sailed from here; now, the Ro-Ro ramp is used by companies importing cars into Ireland. In
addition to the ferry terminal, which provides a service to Roscoff in France, Ringaskiddy
has a deep water port.

The Port of Cork company is a commercial semi-state company responsible for the
commercial running of the harbour as well as responsibility for navigation and berthage in
the port. In 2011 the port had a turnover of €21.4 million and made pre-tax profits of €1.2
million.[12] This was down from a turnover of €26.4 million and profits of €5.4 million in
2006. Container traffic increased by 6% in 2011 when 156,667teus were handled at the
Tivoli container facility, however this was down from a peak of 185,000 TEUs in 2006.[13]
The 2006 figure saw the port at full capacity and the Port drew up plans for a new
container facility capable of handling up to 400,000 teus per annum at Ringaskiddy. This
was the subject of objections and after an oral planning hearing was held in 2008, the Irish
planning board Bord Pleanala rejected the plan due to inadequate rail and road links at the
location.[14]

Permission was later granted and work started (2018) on the new port.[citation needed]

There has been an increase in cruise ship visits to Cork Harbour in the early 21st century,
with 53 such ships visiting the port in 2011.[12] The majority of these cruise ships berth at
Cobh's Deepwater Quay. Historically, Cobh (under its former name Queenstown) was one
of the principal ports through which flowed the stream of emigrants stemming from the
Great Famine in the 1840s.

There are also a number of private berths around the harbour, with several centred on
Whitegate, Passage West, Rushbrooke, Ringaskiddy and Haulbowline.

Recreational

The Royal Cork Yacht Club, claimed as the world's oldest, was founded as 'The Water Club'
on Haulbowline Island in the 1720s. When the British Navy took over Haulbowline in 1801,
the club moved to Cobh, where their original clubhouse (built in the 1850s) still stands. In
the 1960s, the club moved to Crosshaven. There are also boatyards at Crosshaven and two
other marinas. There is another marina on Great Island opposite East Ferry, while
Monkstown and Blackrock are used for boating, canoeing, windsurfing and jet-skiing. A
number of rowing clubs have facilities on the part of the River Lee between Cork City and
Blackrock.

The waterfront at Cobh

Islands

Cork Harbour contains a number of islands. Islands which are or have been inhabited
include:

Great Island – The largest island in Cork Harbour,

which includes the town of Cobh

Fota Island – Containing Fota Wildlife Park, Fota Golf

Course, Fota House and Arboretum and the Fota Island
Resort Hotel
Detail of 1780s map showing lower
Little Island – A residential and industrial area harbour islands (Spike, Haulbowline)
and defensive structures (at Cove
Haulbowline Island – Headquarters of the Irish Naval Fort, Fort Carlisle, Spike, Rams
Service, and formerly the home of the Cork Water Club Head, and Roches Tower)

(1720) (the latter using a castle as their clubhouse).[15]

Spike Island – Former prison island

Harper Island, County Cork

Hop Island, County Cork – Site of an equestrian centre

Weir Island, County Cork

Brick Island, County Cork

Corkbeg Island, County Cork – Whitegate Oil Refinery

Brown Island, County Cork

Rocky Island – Once housed a magazine building for the Royal Navy. Used by Irish Steel
for storage until 2002. Now home to The Island Crematorium, the first crematorium in
Ireland outside Dublin.

See also

The Emergency

Plan W

Joseph Wheeler for further information on 19th century shipbuilding in Cork.

References

p. ^ "Cork Harbour" . Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

q. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland

r. ^ "Surveys - Cork Harbour and Coast" . INtegrated Mapping FOr the Sustainable
Development of Ireland's MArine Resource (INFOMAR). Archived from the original
on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2015.

s. ^ "Cork harbour is a bustling axis where hope and history ebb and swell" . Irish
Examiner. Retrieved 11 April 2015.

t. ^ "Area Profile for Town - Cobh Legal Town and its Environs" (PDF). Census 2011.
Central Statistics Office. 2011.

u. ^ Stevenson, I., Fort (Fortress Study Group), 1999 (27), pp113-143

v. ^ Rogersand, Stephen. (6 June 2012) Pfizer staff summoned for job loss
discussions . Irish Examiner. Retrieved on 23 July 2013.

w. ^ "Port History" . Port of Cork Company. Retrieved 5 December 2016.

x. ^ R. Ingram-Brown (1998). Brown's Nautical Almanac: Daily Tide Tables . Brown, Son
& Ferguson. Retrieved 23 February 2016.

py. ^ "Passage West and Monkstown, Cork Harbour" . Passagewestmonkstown.ie.

Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2016.

pp. ^ "Port Of Cork – Notice to Mariners" . PortofCork.ie (Google Cache Archive).

Retrieved 23 February 2016.

pq. ^ a b "Port of Cork - 2011 Annual Results (Press Release)" . Port of Cork. 13 August
2012.

pr. ^ "Reports and financial statements for year ended 31 December 2006" (PDF). Port
of Cork Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2007.

ps. ^ RTÉ News: Port of Cork €225m development rejected

pt. ^ History of yachting in the South of Ireland 1720-1908

External links

Port of Cork Company website

Cork Harbour Weather Conditions and Weather Cam

Cork Harbour Fortifications

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cork Harbour.

Last edited 5 months ago by Sheila1988

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.

Terms of Use • Privacy • Desktop