How old is Dublin Port?

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

Where was the original Dublin Port located?

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

How big is Dublin Port?

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Who owns Dublin Port?

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

What is Dublin Port Company?

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Name someone famous connected to Dublin Port?

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Is Dublin the largest Port in Ireland?

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

Who handles the Cargo in Dublin Port?

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Who is the Chief Executive of Dublin Port?

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Who is the Harbour Master of Dublin Port?

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

How many passengers come through Dublin Port each year?

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

How many cruise liners arrive in Dublin Port?

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

How many tonnes of exports were shipped by Dublin Port?

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

How many ships arrive at Dublin Port each year?

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

What is the total throughput of goods at Dublin Port?

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

How many tourist vehicles come through Dublin Port?

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

How many trade vehicles come through Dublin Port?

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Can pleasure craft enter Dublin Port?

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

What is the VHF Channel for Dublin Port control?

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

Is there a Dublin Bay webcam?

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here

What is Dublin Port’s 'distributed museum'?

Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City. A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together. The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay. For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports: Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km. Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill. Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022. Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years. The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project. The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances. It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill. This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces. The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Displaying items by tag: RAYC

5th October 2014

J/109 Ruth Wins Royal Alfred Yacht Club Coastal Series

#rayc – The Royal Alfred Yacht Club (RAYC) Coastal Series out of Dublin Bay provided a nail-biting finish to the silver fleet outcome with only one point separating first and second places overall. Full results are downloadable below.
Pippa IV and Yahtzee, despite only sailing in three of the four races, organised jointly with ISORA, and thereby not having the cushion of a discard were on equal points going into the last race of the Series. Pippa IV shaded it in the final tussle and emerged the victor.
In the Gold Fleet, following Jedi's success over the last couple of years with Liam Shanahan's Ruth nipping at his heels, it was the turn of Ruth to take the Trophy and round off a great year for the Liam Shanahan crew.

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27th September 2014

Royal Alfred Yacht Club to Stage Laser Dinghy Event on Dublin's River Liffey

The Royal Alfred Yacht Club will hold a river Liffey racing event for the Laser dinghy class on Saturday 11th October. Dublin's East Link bridge is being opened at 10.30am to allow the passage of the fleet up the river and racing is due to start at 11.00.

Royal Alfred Yacht Club Commodore Barry MacNeaney reports there will be continuous races with a short lunch break until 15.00 and the bridge will open again at 14.30 to let the competitors return to the Poolbeg Yacht Club where refreshments will be available before the prize-giving. 'This format tests the skills of the sailors in an environment of narrow waters and changing winds and provides an extra dimension to the more normal sailing conditions they usually experience', says MacNeaney.

Entry forms are available for downloading on the Royal Alfred website from next Monday (29th September).

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14th June 2014

Royal Alfred Make Scoring Change for Bloomsday Regatta

#bloomsdayregatta – Lack of wind for sailing on Dublin Bay today means Royal Alfred Yacht Club's Bloomsday regatta that is being run in conjunction with the ICRA National Championships has made a change to its sailing instructions.

Scoring in certain classes has been changed so a boat's RAYC Bloomsday Regatta score will be the total of her race scores for the first two races sailed at the ICRA National Championships tomorrow. Download the change to SIs below.

Meanwhile results for the B & C courses today are available to download below as an excel file.

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21st May 2014

RAYC Superleague Adds Extra Dimension to Dublin Sailing For the Price of a Pint

#rayc – The Royal Aflred Yacht Club (RAYC) is offering an extra dimension to Dublin Bay sailing for 'the price of a pint', says RAYC Commodore Barry MacNeaney. Covering all cruiser and keelboat classes and with a very modest entry fee of €5 per crew member, the RAYC Superleague series gives a flexibility that allows every competitor a fighting chance.

In 2012, the RAYC racing club re-launched the 'Superleague' concept – first staged in the 1990s – to a new generation of sailors in 2012 with the aim of 'rewarding the best boats, skippers and crews', across the whole season, in each class in Dublin Bay, the country's biggest sailing centre.

Saturday's Royal Irish Yacht Club Regatta marks the first of the 2014 RAYC league's ten race series. With a generous discard of four races if all ten races are sailed, winners may not be decided till the final race!

Prizes for the winners and for their crew will be presented at the RAYC Annual Black Tie Dinner being held this year in the RIYC on November 21st

Entry forms are in all the Dun Laoghaire Clubs and Howth Yacht Club. On-line entry is also possible here.

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15th April 2014

A Busy Day for the 'Alfred', the Start of a Hectic 2014 Sailing Season

#rayc - Saturday 12th April was a busy day for the Royal Alfred Yacht Club, being actively involved in simultaneous events on the Liffey and in Howth.

On the Liffey the Royal Alfred was coordinating the on-the water part of the highly successful Colours Race between UCD and TCD. Royal Alfred committee member Eunice Kennedy, working with the overall event organiser, UCD Sailing Club, managed a cooperative effort involving resources from the Royal St. George Yacht Club, the Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club and the collaboration of Dublin Port,who agreed to open the East Link Bridge.

This was an exceptional day for the students, with Trinity taking the honours in the Colours Race from UCD, who had already triumphed in the precceding round robin. It was however business as usual for the 'Alfred', as they have been running racing in the Liffey for many years.

At the same time, the last day of day of Howth Yacht Club's Spring Warmers Series was also Royal Alfred Day. With another set of prizes to fight for, even those whose previous results left them with no chance in the overall series could aspire to take home some glassware from the Royal Alfred event, thus adding further interest to the competition.

Other 'Alfred' events are planned this year, many of them in cooperation with other clubs. Thus the Royal Alfred Yacht Club's annual Bloomsday Regatta will neatly avoid a potential clash of dates in an overcrowded season by running the event alongside the Irish Cruiser Racing Association's National Cruiser Nationals which runs from 13th to the 15th June. The cruiser classes will sail the ICRA courses, and all entrants in the ICRA Nationals will be automatically entered in the Bloomsday Regatta. The first 2 races sailed on the ICRA course on Saturday 14th of June will count for the Bloomsday results. All other classes will sail on courses managed by the RAYC.

The Royal Alfred Superleague is also run in cooperation with the waterfront clubs and DBSC. The Dun Laoghaire and Howth Club regattas, including, naturally the RAYC Bloomsday Regatta and designated DBSC races count towards a season-long competition, with a prize-giving at the prestigious RAYC dinner.

In much the same way, the Royal Alfred continues it's ancient association with offshore racing (a sport the club can claim to have invented) by running the RAYC Coastal Series within the Irish Offshore Racing Association Series. By awarding prizes for the shorter races, the Royal Alfred YC offers competition for those who are tempted by racing offshore.

The Royal Alfred continues to add something extra to the Dublin sailing season. It is also satisfying to see ideas developed by the club, such as a multi-class regatta for one design keel-boats, being taken up elsewhere. The RAYC continues to develop and confirm its long tradition of Corinthian sailing.

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25th November 2013

RAYC Award Millerick Services to Sailing Trophy

#rayc – At Friday's Royal Alfred Yacht Club Annual Dinner, past Commodore Ailbe Millerick was awarded the Dr John O'Leary Memorial Trophy for Services to Sailing.

Royal St George member Ailbe Millerick has had a long and distinguished sailing career which is far from over. He has competed successfully in dinghies, offshore racing and in Dragons. He was with John Ross Murphy and Ed Peel when they won the Dragon 75th Anniversary Race in St. Tropez. This was an all Dublin Bay affair with Tony O'Gorman in charge of trying to start the 267 Dragons.
For many years Ailbe lead the revival of Irish team racing, trailing boats round the country to events. He became an International Umpire in 1999, and has been a mentor and guide to Irish umpires ever since.
Not least, Ailbe was a committee member of the Royal Alfred YC for 15 years, of which he spent 7 years as Commodore. He was very much a hands-on Commodore, out starting RAYC's offshore races, serving as race officer, judge and many other functions, including towing boats up the Liffey for RAYC racing in the heart of Dublin. Ailbe Millerick continues to maintain the Royal Alfred YCs ideals of Corinthian racing.

The RAYC dinner was attended by 142 members and guests. The prizegiving for the Bloomsday Regatta and the RAYC Superleague was onc eagain the opportunity to admire a spectacular array of silverware, dating, for many of the trophies from the 19th Century.

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6th September 2013

J/109 Jedi Wins Royal Alfred's Offshore Series

#rayc – Following an excellent four race series, the final positions in the Royal Alfred Yacht Club (RAYC) Offshore Series run in association with ISORA have been published writes RAYC Commodore Barry McNeaney.

In the Gold Fleet it was the last race that decided the result as "Jedi's" (Andrew Sarratt) magnificent first place allowed a discard on race two and they just pipped "Ruth" (Liam Shanahan) at the post! A margin of one point at the finish – it could not have been closer!

In the Silver fleet "Polished Manx" took a commanding lead from early in the Series. It was unfortunate that there were not more competitors in the last race as "Polished Manx" did not compete and "Windshift" ,who did compete and finished well could not amass the points needed to overtake them. Well done to "Polished Manx"!

Gold Fleet: points
1st Jedi 26
2nd Ruth 25
3rd Adelie 20
4th Lula Belle 18
5th Jointly Mojito and Tsunami 16

Silver Fleet: Points

1st Polished Manx 26

2nd Windshift 21
3rd Jointly Desert Star and Yahtzee 19
5th Quite Correct 17
6th African Challenge 14
7th Orna 5

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15th June 2013

Royal Alfred (RAYC) Bloomsday Regatta 2013 Results

The Royal Alfred Yacht Club enjoyed a brilliant day of sunshine for its annual regatta. The Bloomsday Regatta was hosted at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

With gust south westerly winds, the A & B courses completed two windard/leeward races with White Sails enjoying a race around the cans. In three of the classes there were tie breaks broken by the best placing in the last race of the day. Result highlights below and full results downloadable as MS Word files below. No Beneteau 31.7 or Shipman results have been issued by RAYC.

Cruisers 0 IRC 1st, Loose Change, Morris Mitton and Petter Redden, RIYC
Cruisers 0 Echo 1st, Tsunami, Vincent Farrell,RIYC

Cruisers 1 IRC 1st Gringo, Tony Fox
2nd Jalapeno, Barrington, Bourke & Phillips,RIYC
Cruisers 1 Echo 1st Adrenain, Joe McDonald, NYC
2nd Axiom, M. O'Neill

Criusers 2 IRC 1st Sunburn, Ian Byrne, HYC
2nd Bendemeer, L Casey & D Power, RSGYC
3rd Red Rhum, J & C Nicholson
Cruisers 2 Echo 1st Helter Skelter, Adrienne Jermyn, RSGYC
2nd Kamakassie, Peter Nash, RSGYC
3rd Graduate, Dominic O'Keefe, RIYC

White Sails IRC 1st Orna, Phillip Dilworth NYC
2nd Warrior, Dave Shanahan
3rd Voyage, Joe Carton HYC
White Sails Echo 1st Sweet Martini, Bruce Carswell, RSGYC
2nd Vive, Brian Cumerford, DMYC

Cruisers 3A IRC 1st Cri-Cri, Paul Colton
2nd Hyflyer, John Barnard PYBC
3rd Supernova, McStay/Timbs/Monaghan/Costello,
Cruisers 3A Echo 1st Borraine, Ean Pugh, RIYC
2nd Carrabeg, D. Martin, RSGYC

Cruisers 3B Echo 1st Saki, Ryan/McCormack, RIYC
2nd Asterix, Boushell.Conimhan/Meredith

Sigma 33's 1st Springer, Ian Bowrning, RSGYC

Ruffian 23's 1st Alias, D. Meeke & M. McCarthy
2nd Paramour, Sastree/Russell/Power NYC

Glens 1st Glenluce, Richard O'Connor, RSGYC
2nd Glendun, Brian Denham, RSGYC
3rd Pterodacty R & D McCaffrey, RIYC

Beneteau 21's 1st Yikes, Joe Conway, RIYC

Squib's 1st Perfection, Jill Flemming, RSGYC
2nd Little Demon, Sheila Power, RSGYC
3rd Tais, Micheal O'Connell, RIYC

In the Laser fleet the results were very interesting in that we had a number of under 18's competing with one of them taking 3rd place. The results are as follows:

Juniors 1st Rory McStay RIYC
2nd C O'Beirne RIYC
3rd L. Murphy RSGYC

Senior 1st Mattie O'Dowd RSGYC
2nd Paul Keane RIYC
3rd Sean Craig RAYC

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13th June 2013

Bloomsday Regatta to be Hosted by Royal Alfred Yacht Club This Saturday

Bloomsday Regatta will be held this Saturday on Dublin Bay under the Burgee of the Royal Alfred Yacht Club and in association with all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront Yacht Clubs. The host club is the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

The regatta caters for Cruiser Classes 0,1,2, 3a and 3b & White Sails, Laser SB20, Dragon, Sigma 33, Beneteau 31.7, Beneteau 21, Puppeteer, Ruffian, Glen, Shipman 23, Flying 15, Squib, Mermaid, Fireball, 420, IDRA 14, Laser 1, Radial, Water Wags and Portsmouth Yardstick.

There are two races back to back scheduled and the forecast indicates high winds for race time.

A notice of race is downloadable as a PDF below.

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28th May 2013