Dublin Port Archive preserves a collection of over 3,500 colour slides, dating between the 1950s and 1970s. The main topics depicted are port operations and shipping. They depict an era that is long gone, starting to disappear with the invention of the container by Malcolm McLean. The container meant the standardisation of shipping and changed the port environment forever. Dockers and their expertise in handling all types of cargo manually, filling or emptying a ship hold manually and in the most efficient way, were no longer needed. The Dublin docks, that ran down both sides of the river from the Custom House to Alexandra Basin, were no longer suitable for the massive container ships, and the port was confined to its current location.
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