Portmarnock, County Dublin, Ireland.

Portmarnock is town on the North Coast of County Dublin. Originally fishing village with some holiday cottages it was famous for it's magnificent velvet strand.
The Jameson family had a large residence near the beach, long converted to a Hotel. The hotel has been recently upgraded and combined with a new golf course which enclosed most of the area behind the sand dunes.

Death and regeneration of Portmarnock Strand.

The contours of Portmarnock strand change constantly during the year as sand is moved to and fro by storms and wind. Extra beach has been created at the southern end of the beach. A feature over the last few years has been the deterioration of the sand dunes behind the strand. A series of photos taken in January 2000 to show the extent of erosion of the dune system. An attempt was made several years ago to stabilise the front dunes but this was partially successful but was not followed through.

A grassy approach to the beach was created at the same time as the stabilisation attempt. Railway sleepers were driven into the sand several meters in front of the dunes and the area between the dunes and sleepers was filled with soil. This has created an artificial access to the beach from the roadway.

This area has now been extended by Fingal County Council and, due to representations from the Beach Committee of the PCA, it is being covered with sand instead of soil and grass. The bare areas of sand here and down along the beach are to be planted. The work is to be partially paid for by both FCC and the Golf and Country Club Hotel. The work was driven by the necessity to realign the fence on top of the dunes to comply with planning permission.

It appears that the intention was to cover the dunes with soil for a distance of 250m from the end of the present revetment. This resembles the works in Malahide, where the dune system was covered and an area in the centre was converted into a carpark.This idea was opposed by the PCA with the support of numerous concerned residents. The plan has, hopefully, been revised to accomodate our concerns.  BEACH UPDATE

High tides over the last few years have led to erosion of the face of the dunes as can be seen in the photo. The wooden palings were put in several years ago by Fingal County Council in an attempt to preserve dunes from erosion. They succeeded in  places in causing a large build up of sand and encouraged growth of marram grass. The fence on the skyline belongs to the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links. This fence is to be slightly repositioned according to the FCC plan. Fingal County Council have placed sleepers in front of this section of dunes in an effort to stop further erosion.

 

The deposition patterns be seen as lines across the cliff face. The sand falling off the cliff forms slopes of loose sand which blows away in high winds or  carried away by high tides and during storms. With no marram grass to hold the sand erosion is taking place quite rapidly. The landward side of this dune is cut away for a tee box while the seaward side in undercut by the sea. This dune has been demolished and recontoured by F.C.C. It is intended to cover this and all other areas of bare sand  with jute sacking and plant them with marram grass to hold the sand.

Changing contours of the dunes have caused a build up of sand in some areas creating an open access to the Golf Links. In other areas sand has been eroded from under the fence supports.

The layers of sand, which have built up over centuries, can be seen on the face of the dune. The height of the dune would have originally been level with the marram grass at the crest. The face and some of the height of the dune have been blown away without vegetation to preserve the structure. Loose sand has been created by adults and children walking, running and sliding on the face of the bare dunes. This loose sand then blows away in the wind.

A trench cut for the fence by IMG in the top of the dunes initiated this erosion which has been continued by walkers forced up from the beach at high tides. The fencing in of the back section of the dunes has put added pressure on the front dunes. Before the erection of the fence walkers could choose to follow several paths behind the dunes.

Inside the fence grass has replaced the bio-diversity which is a feature of this type of ecosystem. Removal of the organic layer from much of the course and replacement with a single grass type made the application of fertilizer essential. The sandy soil meant that any water and fertilizer drained rapidly into the ground water and Baldoyle estuary a special area of conservation. The estuary is the winter feeding ground of almost 20% of the world population of light bellied Brent Geese.

Large segments have been cut out of high dunes to create tee boxes at high levels. This contributes to the instability of the dune system. Isolated patches of the original vegetation are visible around the course.

Beach Council decision

PCA

Planting plan

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