The Waterfall, Poulaphouca, Co. Wicklow

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Where: Wicklow, Ireland

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When: Unknown

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A beautiful Royal plate of the Waterfall at Poulaphouca, Co. Wicklow. Over the years I have been in that area many times but have never seen this so perhaps it has been inundated?

While not inundated, today's contributors and the relevant Wikipedia article tell us that the Poulaphouca waterfall was largely reduced to a trickle following the nearby reservoir works. Thankfully however the impressive looking bridge remains :)


Photographer: Robert French

Collection: Lawrence Photograph Collection

Date: Catalogue range c.1865-1914

NLI Ref: L_ROY_02532

You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie

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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 37441
robertfrench williamlawrence lawrencecollection lawrencephotographicstudio glassnegative nationallibraryofireland waterfall poulaphouca cowicklow blessington ireland bridge cabin framed pollaphuca pollanphúca gothick countywicklow riverliffey alexandernimmo britonstown glebe lawrencephotographcollection

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    ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq

    • 14/Dec/2017 09:52:04

    The wonderful bridge is still there; I just went across virtually with streetview - www.google.com.au/maps/@53.1184982,-6.5870475,3a,75y,33.7...

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    ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq

    • 14/Dec/2017 09:55:34

    One side of the photo is Co. Kildare, the other is Co. Wicklow - I am not sure which ...

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    John Spooner

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:04:45

    I though we might need a Mysterious Disappearance Klaxxon from page 4 of Evening Telegraph* - Tuesday 16 September 1902 Evening Telegraph - Tuesday 16 September 1902 but on page 3 is the sad news so it's a job for the Untimely Death Klaxxon Northants Evening Telegraph - Tuesday 16 September 1902 Poor Mr Byrne.

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    Rory_Sherlock

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:11:09

    Here it is on the OSI 25" map: maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V2,694709,708504,11,9

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    Rory_Sherlock

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:13:33

    NIAH entry: www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&... Built c.1830 to designs by Alexander Nimmo apparently

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    domenico milella

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:18:21

    Congratulation for your beautiful Album.

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    ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:21:40

    1827 description from Wright's Guide to Wicklow -

    The celebrated fall of the River Liffey, called Pol-a-Phuca or the Daemon's Hole, is about one mile from the village of Ballymore Eustace. In rainy seasons, when the river is much swollen, the fall is calculated at 150 feet in height. This is to be understood as combining the altitudes of the three stages constituting the cascade. The chasm through which the water rushes is only forty feet wide, lined on each side with perpendicular masses of Greywacke rock. The centre fall is an extraordinary and terrific object. Here the whole body of water composing the stream of the Liffey, rushes down with the utmost impetuosity into a circular basin of stone, worn perfectly smooth, the form of which imparts to the water a rotatory motion...across this chasm a bridge has been thrown, to continue the new line of road to New Ross, the span of the arch is 65 feet, the altitude of the chord above the upper fall is 47, and the height of the keystone of the arch above the river's bed 150 feet; from the battlements there is a direct perpendicular view into the whirlpool just now described, and which gives name to the waterfall. This beautiful object and bold conception, the bridge of Pol-a-Phuca, is built from the design of Alexander Nimmo, Esq.
    Via - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulaphouca#Poulaphouca_Waterfall_a...

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    ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq

    • 14/Dec/2017 10:26:12

    How many different ways are there to spell 'Poulaphouca' ? !

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    Pasquiriva@

    • 14/Dec/2017 11:05:55

    Beautifu!

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    scientific ship

    • 14/Dec/2017 13:05:39

    Fantastic shot. I think I may need to re-create this.

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    National Library of Ireland on The Commons

    • 14/Dec/2017 16:02:30

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia As many as you like I suppose so long as they translate "Hole"? Normally the word is spelt "Poll" but anglicisation has changed it to "Poul" in this case!

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    Bernard Healy

    • 14/Dec/2017 16:57:13

    The ESB need our help! ;) They're trying to identify the location of this photo. The Bird's Nest Lounge Bar should be a good clue, but the only Bird's Nest I can find is in Bundoran & I can't square the geography of Bundoran seafront with the existence of the road onto which the lorry is turning.

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    John Spooner

    • 14/Dec/2017 17:19:01

    The bridge was very nearly damaged in 1923. Northern Whig - Saturday 03 March 1923:

    A train on the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway was held up at Poulaphouca on Thursday evening. The train was sent at full speed into the terminus at Poulaphouca, and striking the terminal blocks tore them away. This did not stop the engine. It had come to the end of the rails, but it still proceeded along the country road. As the road was soft, owing to the recent heavy rains, the wheels sank in the surface a short distance from the bridge over the waterfall. The engine, having sunk some distance in the road, came to a standstill. Had it gone a few yards further it would have collided with the stonework of the bridge and toppled into the river.
    The armed party then used paraffin oil to burn the carriage which had been uncoupled from the engine , reducing it to a "hopeless wreck" before legging it.

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    ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq

    • 14/Dec/2017 20:35:54

    There seem to be lots of good anecdotes about this place ... 1909 April Fools joke? - "COMPULSORY IRISH." - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115095792

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    Vab2009

    • 14/Dec/2017 21:07:27

    Just had a whizz over it with Google Earth and the reservoir looks huge. Which is a side issue to this great bridge. 😁

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    Bernard Healy

    • 15/Dec/2017 00:38:25

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ Loughill the location of the ESB shot.

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    National Library of Ireland on The Commons

    • 15/Dec/2017 00:56:38

    Thanks all! While it's a pity that the waterfall 's surge has been reduced by the dam works (no profanity intended :) ), it's great to hear that the bridge survives! Map, tags, etc are duly updated....

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    B-59

    • 15/Dec/2017 08:56:24

    View in 2013 (flickr is sometimes amazing ;-) www.flickr.com/photos/robwildwood/18206203162/

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    John Spooner

    • 26/Jan/2018 12:55:01

    From the W E Hayward collection of railway ephemera in the UK National ArchivesP1350438P1350432P1350433