Fingal

Fingal is unique in the Dublin region, for the numbers of surviving thatched vernacular structures. These are found in both towns and the countryside. Included in this selection are a number that survive under tin. Thatch was also used as a roofing material for the restoration of the windmill in Skerries and the cottage orne style Casino in Malahide.

The threat of invasion by Napoleon led to the building of defensive structures along Dublin.s vulnerable coastline. By October 1804 the London Times reported, “The building [of] the Martello Towers for the protection of the coast from Bray to Dublin, proceeds with unexampled dispatch; they are in general forty feet in diameter, precisely circular and built of hewn granite, closely joined; some are already thirty feet high and exhibit proofs of the most admirable masonry”. The South Dublin towers are of granite ashlar, whereas those in Fingal are mostly of rendered rubble masonry. Some of the Fingal towers have been converted for residential use, most notably Hicks Tower, Malahide, remodelled in an Arts and Crafts style by the Architect Frederick Hicks.

Structures recorded by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage are generally privately owned and are not accessible to the public. However these sites, managed by Fingal County Council or the Office of Public Works are all open to visitors and within easy reach of the city. These range from the former Church of Ireland parish church at Lusk with its adjoining Medieval tower to the high Victorian splendour of Farmleigh House. Visitors should check opening arrangements.

Fingal has an extensive coastline and the sea has played a vital role in its economy. Its lack of natural harbours resulted in the loss of many ships in storms every year. Access to Fingal.s coastal villages was vastly improved by the development of harbours in the nineteenth century. Associated with these harbours are a range of related structures including lighthouses and coastguard stations.