Consider the scene. The year is 1857. The chill of November sweeps across Dublin. A notice appears in The Times. This notice heralds a new era for Kingstown harbour, now known as Dún Laoghaire. We are standing before the East Pier Battery. This fortress was born from a pressing need. It was intended to be an up-to-date defensive mechanism. The government decided to erect defenses. They would protect Kingstown harbour.
Construction began swiftly. The plan was to complete the circular battery within a year. This provided timely employment for the working classes during the winter months. The battery was armed with powerful 68-pounders.
Let’s delve into the battery’s layout. A barrel-vaulted passage once led from the pier. It led to the terreplein. This was the ground level of the battery. To the right were steps into a shifting room. Two magazines branched off it. Ammunition was stored in these magazines. It was prepared for use in the shifting room. A derrick above the doorway lifted it to the upper battery.
Next to the magazines was the casemate. This was a vaulted chamber of masonry within the ramparts. Equipped with an artillery embrasure, it overlooked the sea. Beside the casemate was the filling room and expense shell store. Steps led to the upper battery. It had three gun platforms. The lower battery had three more platforms, now only two.
Opposite the battery’s vaulted entrance stood the artillery store and expense magazine. These were two small rooms below the terreplein level. Adjoining the officer’s and soldier’s water closets were the soldier’s quarters. They were designed to accommodate 24 men. Outside was a water tank with a 3000-gallon capacity. The cook house, coal store, and ash pit were at the south-eastern corner. The landing stage ran behind the officer’s quarter and into the guard room.
Imagine this battery fully manned. G.R. Powell described it in 1860. He called it a small but powerful defense. It commanded the whole bay from its prominent position. It had many guns of large caliber and a powerful magazine. The battery even had a means of heating balls to a white heat. The walls were curved to deflect incoming fire.
Speaking of artillery, the 1857 proposal drawing detailed the armament. It included three 68-pounder guns over casemates. They were on dwarf traversing platforms pivoted in the rear. There were also four 32-pounders in a casemate and one 24-pounder on a garrison carriage. The ordnance in permanent fortifications often came from former ships. By the time of installation, it was a little outmoded.
The three 68-pounder guns on the upper battery were visible in a turn-of-the-century photograph. These guns suited their position facing out to the horizon. They commanded a considerable range with astonishing accuracy.
On the lower battery were three 32-pounders. Another 32-pounder resided in the casemate. Two arched gun embrasures overlooked the harbour. The 24-pounder guns facilitated short-range rifle fire into the harbour.
Very little documentary evidence exists about the battery’s history. Its past is relatively uneventful. Its main role has been firing gun salutes. Today, it is one of only two in the state that still does this. The other is on Spike Island in County Cork. It never saw enemy action or acted defensively. By 1905, the Kingstown Directory and Guide noted that the fort was stripped of its armament.
However, in 1907, the battery played a part in welcoming King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. It was bedecked in fairy lights, like the whole harbour. A Royal Salute was fired from the East Pier Battery. The sudden burst of colors in the sunshine and the loud booming of the guns created a Royal show of welcome.
So, as we stand here, remember the East Pier Battery’s story. It is a tale of defense, royal welcomes, and the echoes of artillery salutes. It’s a reminder of a time when Dublin’s harbor stood ready to face any threat.