In 1804, the Carysfort Estate granted leases to the Dublin Port authority of land at Bullock, including the small harbour at Sandycove. The lease expires in 1903 but as the harbour was within the port of Dublin as defined by the Dublin Port and Docks Board Act 1869, the board had a continuing statuary obligation to maintain it for the purposes of commercial navigation which for many years has been nil. Indeed there is no record of Sandycove harbour ever having been used commercially and it is difficult to see how even the smallest coaster could have used it. For many years the harbour has been used solely for amenity purposes by local residents and visitors.
The first lifeboat station of Ireland was established at Sandycove in 1803 and it was supervised by Capt. Hutchison. One of the most famous rescues he led happened in 1821 off Sandycove, when four of the lifeboat’s crew lost their lives in the sea to save the crew of the brig Ellen.
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