Beach update

Fingal County Council worked during the Spring and Summer to the plan devised by their experts. This extended the revetment to around the end of the original forshhore owned by FCC before the land swap. Railway sleepers were inserted into the sand, at an angle of 60 degrees. The area behind the sleepers was filled in. Immediately behind the sleepers were limestone rocks wrapped in matting and covered with sand.

[Image] This a was planted with marram grass and rose bushes and surrounded by a fence as shown. The sleepers in the front of the picture are part of the original revetment and are at 90 degrees. Near the rocks there has been a build up of pebbles in front of the original revetment leading to a fear that the beach would erode away because of the angle at which it was put in. It is thought that the waves breaking on the upright sleepers would scour away the sand. It may be that the waves breaking closer to the revetment have higher energy and which can carry pebbles inshore as they do sand. A major worry is that this end of the beach will end up covered in pebbles rather than sand.

The sleepers in this new part of the revetment are inserted at an angle so that some of the energy is dissapated as it breaks up the slope and does not scour away the sand in front. During the high tides in October storms and Easterly winds pounded on the beach. The waves scoured out sand from behind the new revetment and left a space behind. This has now been refilled by FCC. However, as I write in early December high tides from the full moon have come right across the beach and storm waves are yet again pounding the dunes. [Image]

[Image] As can be seen from the photos, a fence was placed along the front of the revetment to prevent the public walking into the newly planted areas of the dunes. This fence has been continued along the beach in front of the dunes where the work by FCC has taken place. Further along the beach this fencing was knocked over by the waves.

The area worst affected was the dune which had been completely recontoured. The recontouring had been done by a bulldozer which broke up the existing clumps of marram and sycamore trees and created a gentler slope. Rock gabions were inserted at the base of these dunes and the sand was built up over these gabions.
As can be seen from the photo the sand was scoured away, the protective fence was felled and the jute matting, intended to hold the sand, was left hanging down the front of the sand cliff.

[Image]

[Image] The extent of the damage to the recontoured dune is clear while the top of the knocked down fence is visible in the right corner of the photo.
There is very little growth visible on the dune. About 30% of the planting has taken on this dune face. There is also natural growth from the marram broken up by the bulldozer.
Jute matting and palings intended to hold the sand until marram grass grew sufficiently to hold it have been dislodged by the waves.

It is essential that the beach is not damaged further. Local and visiting football teams have been asked not to run up and down the dunes while training. We would ask all beach users to cooperate in protecting our beach.
Portmarnock strand at the end of a rainbow.
Perhaps with a pot of gold it can be preserved for the future.

Photographs A. O'Flynn Bury.
[Image]

Top

	This a was planted with marram grass and rose bushes and surrounded by a fence as shown. The sleepers in the front of the picture are part of the original revetment and are at 90 degrees. Near the rocks there has been a build up of pebbles in front of the original revetment leading to a fear that the beach would erode away because of the angle at which it was put in. It is thought that the waves breaking on the upright sleepers would scour away the sand. It may be that the waves breaking closer to the revetment have higher energy and which can carry pebbles inshore as they do sand. A major worry is that this end of the beach will end up covered in pebbles rather than sand.
The sleepers in this new part of the revetment are inserted at an angle so that some of the energy is dissapated as it breaks up the slope and does not scour away the sand in front. During the high tides in October storms and Easterly winds pounded on the beach. The waves scoured out sand from behind the new revetment and left a space behind. This has now been refilled by FCC. However, as I write in early December high tides from the full moon have come right across the beach and storm waves are yet again pounding the dunes.
	As can be seen from the photos, a fence was placed along the front of the revetment to prevent the public walking into the newly planted areas of the dunes. This fence has been continued along the beach in front of the dunes where the work by FCC has taken place. Further along the beach this fencing was knocked over by the waves.
The area worst affected was the dune which had been completely recontoured. The recontouring had been done by a bulldozer which broke up the existing clumps of marram and sycamore trees and created a gentler slope. Rock gabions were inserted at the base of these dunes and the sand was built up over these gabions. As can be seen from the photo the sand was scoured away, the protective fence was felled and the jute matting, intended to hold the sand, was left hanging down the front of the sand cliff.
	The extent of the damage to the recontoured dune is clear while the top of the knocked down fence is visible in the right corner of the photo. There is very little growth visible on the dune. About 30% of the planting has taken on this dune face. There is also natural growth from the marram broken up by the bulldozer. Jute matting and palings intended to hold the sand until marram grass grew sufficiently to hold it have been dislodged by the waves.
It is essential that the beach is not damaged further. Local and visiting football teams have been asked not to run up and down the dunes while training. We would ask all beach users to cooperate in protecting our beach. Portmarnock strand at the end of a rainbow. Perhaps with a pot of gold it can be preserved for the future. Photographs A. O'Flynn Bury.