Unexplained sound in Clontarf/Killester area, evenings and late at night

Fiolina

Captain Chaos wrote: »

I live right on the DART line between Harmonstown and Killester and I have not heard this. I know it's not Irish Rail doing work as they do that between 1:30-4:30am if they do and then it sounds like very heavy road works.

I'm same area, more or less and have never heard it either. IR were doing works in the middle of the night there recently (sounded like tree cutting) and that freaked me out as I didn't know what it was.

Really would love to know what this noise is.

TheJackAttack

If it's between 9am - 4pm it's the school bells in Holy Faith on Clontarf Road... mystery solved?

The school bell plays four chimes..

shalalala

I live in north strand, nothing there. Stayed at mams in donnycarney last night and nothing there so it seems it is deffo more on the coast

Mousewar

Had the exact same thing in Shankill a few years back. A noise just like you describe. It turned out to the pre-announcement note from a school's tannoy system that was sounding regularly right through the night unbeknownst to the staff. We just get the fackers to turn it off.

Adhamh

Just to backtrack a bit, I was woken up on a Sunday morning two weeks ago by a mysterious air raid siren. It was blaring but only for 30 seconds and I couldn't tell what direction it was coming from- I live around South Richmond St, and I would have guessed it was coming from around the Tom Kelly flats or towards Harcourt St.

Stranger still was that nobody else in my house seemed to notice it...

spurious

TheJackAttack wrote: »

If it's between 9am - 4pm it's the school bells in Holy Faith on Clontarf Road... mystery solved?

The school bell plays four chimes..

Ahah!
I'm not sure it's school times it happens during, but this is a very good guess.

Evil_g

Adhamh wrote: »

Just to backtrack a bit, I was woken up on a Sunday morning two weeks ago by a mysterious air raid siren. It was blaring but only for 30 seconds and I couldn't tell what direction it was coming from- I live around South Richmond St, and I would have guessed it was coming from around the Tom Kelly flats or towards Harcourt St.

Stranger still was that nobody else in my house seemed to notice it...

That almost definitely was an air raid siren. There's one based in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines. They test it every Friday at noon. I don't know why it would have been sounding on a Sunday morning though.

(also enjoying this thread)

cml387

FYI there's a thread in the aviation forum about the air raid siren noise.

bennyx_o

Live just around the corner from Killester DART station and can't say I've heard anything unusual, but then I haven't been listening out for anything. I'm intrigued, I'll have a listen this evening and take a walk up to the station and see if it's coming from there

Mrs Shuttleworth

spurious wrote: »

Ahah!
I'm not sure it's school times it happens during, but this is a very good guess.

When it happens it's between around 6.30pm and midnight, continuously, uninterrupted.

raxor wrote: »

Haha I've actually checked this and it's in the key of F, F-A-C-F!

So for absolute clarity, it's exactly like Johannesburg in the above youtube video. (can't link cos I'm new)

Would it be an idea to get a list of potential sources together (schools, sportsgrounds, train stations etc.) and then when it happens next we can split them up and check what's local to each of us? I'd love to get to the bottom of this!

Great idea, I'm on for this.

Here's the link again (thanks to the poster who found it) and yes it's exactly like the Johannesburg tone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_rPTSzG_xE&feature=youtu.be

Areas so far in which we know it's been heard we can sum up as follows:

1. Stiles Road, Clontarf;
2. Oulton Road, Clontarf;
3. Castle Avenue (near Clontarf Castle);
4. Howth Road, Killester (Super Valu car park) and as far as Ennafort roads at start of Raheny;
5. Marino Park Avenue, Fairview, Dublin 3 (heard at same time as at Stiles Road and Howth Road Killester).

Next time I hear it I'll check out the East Point, ferryport (Stena/Irish Ferries area), East Link, Ringsend.

velo.2010

cml387 wrote: »

FYI there's a thread in the aviation forum about the air raid siren noise.

Yeah, I've seen that. Roadstone or similar blasting in the early hours of the morning might be the answer, Strange though.... if I could hear the siren, how come I didn't hear the blast?

Maybe someone should drop Roadstone an email? What would the subject line read -' I hear strange noises at night'.:D

anncoates

We used to hear a siren when I was a kid (in Manchester) some evenings. Presume now it was from a very nearby railway depot at the time. It's a brilliant sound to hear and very evocative. We used to hide under the bed and pretend we were going to get bombed.

Adhamh

Evil_g wrote: »

That almost definitely was an air raid siren. There's one based in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines. They test it every Friday at noon. I don't know why it would have been sounding on a Sunday morning though.

That makes perfect sense, although I've never heard it before (even on Fridays) and I've been living here six months.

January

velo.2010 wrote: »

Yeah, I've seen that. Roadstone or similar blasting in the early hours of the morning might be the answer, Strange though.... if I could hear the siren, how come I didn't hear the blast?

Maybe someone should drop Roadstone an email? What would the subject line read -' I hear strange noises at night'.:D

It's not road stone they don't blast at night.

chopper6

Is it a warning sound for a gantry crane reversing or something similar?

Avada

chopper6 wrote: »

Is it a warning sound for a gantry crane reversing or something similar?

Yeah afaik the air raid siren is from the cranes in the port.

raxor

shalalala wrote: »

I live in north strand, nothing there. Stayed at mams in donnycarney last night and nothing there so it seems it is deffo more on the coast

I don't think it was goin last night, but my mate told me it was goin off for ages on Tuesday night, in the vicinity of Donnycarney church there.

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Great idea, I'm on for this.

Here's the link again (thanks to the poster who found it) and yes it's exactly like the Johannesburg tone.

Areas so far in which we know it's been heard we can sum up as follows:

1. Stiles Road, Clontarf;
2. Oulton Road, Clontarf;
3. Castle Avenue (near Clontarf Castle);
4. Howth Road, Killester (Super Valu car park) and as far as Ennafort roads at start of Raheny;
5. Marino Park Avenue, Fairview, Dublin 3 (heard at same time as at Stiles Road and Howth Road Killester).

Next time I hear it I'll check out the East Point, ferryport (Stena/Irish Ferries area), East Link, Ringsend.

Adding to the list:
6. Donnycarney church vicinity

I don't live in the area, but I'm around Marino/Killester/Donnycarney a good bit, and I've heard it in Killeter, so if I'm around at the time I'll check Vinny's GAA, the fire brigade training centre on the Malahide Road, Joey's School in Fairview, Ard Scoil Ris and those schools in that vicinity, Parnell Park, the schools in Donnycarney, and Killester and Clontarf Road Dart Stations.

Surely to jaysus with a bit of effort we can get to the bottom of this!

Mrs Shuttleworth

raxor wrote: »

I don't think it was goin last night, but my mate told me it was goin off for ages on Tuesday night, in the vicinity of Donnycarney church there.

+1. It wasn't on last night.

Therefore on Tuesday the sound stretched from Ennafort at end of Raheny down effectively to the coast road at Clontarf, across Killester and Collins Avenue to Malahide Road and down as far as Marino and the main Fairview road.

I wonder could the culprit be Mount Temple School. Some godawful music has been known to emanate from there for many a year now.

spurious

I heard that exact tone coming out of Scoil Assaim in Raheny this morning, though fairly quietly.

I think what has been described is very similar to what is now used as school 'bells'. Obviously whatever it is, it is malfunctioning if it's going for hours, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was coming from a school.

I was visiting a school once and their bell sounded like an air raid siren, I nearly pooed myself.

Mrs Shuttleworth

spurious wrote: »

I heard that exact tone coming out of Scoil Assaim in Raheny this morning, though fairly quietly.

I think what has been described is very similar to what is now used as school 'bells'. Obviously whatever it is, it is malfunctioning if it's going for hours, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was coming from a school.

I was visiting a school once and their bell sounded like an air raid siren, I nearly pooed myself.

On second thoughts it's unlikely to be coming from Mount Temple. Directly adjacent to the "new" (ahem) school building is the old house in which there are residents (some current and former teachers at the school). Highly unlikely they would leave such an alarm ringing for so long.

I wonder has anyone who visits Clontarf Golf Club heard it. Given the area in which it's now been pinpointed it should be very audible there given the open space.

Peregrine

My school had a bell like that too. Four notes played twice. It scared the hell out of new teachers and visitors. I can't imagine it being loud enough to be heard in a different suburb but it was also known to malfunction.

It may as well be a nearby school's bell going haywire and repeatedly ringing.

Gyalist

Could it be coming from Springdale NS in Raheny?

The Ging and I

I know this sound in Clontarf.
Its the container depot in the docks where huge cranes load 40 foot containers onto trucks.
Drive down to Breakwater rd and have a listen. A rather noisy set up imo.

Gloomtastic!

I think I've got it!

Could it be a council truck salting the roads? That would explain why it's moving about.

Do I win a prize?

raxor

I don't think so tbh, when I heard it in Killester a while ago it definitely sounded like it was from a static source, i.e. a building, and it was goin continuously for hours without any change in volume etc.

rob w

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Areas so far in which we know it's been heard we can sum up as follows:

1. Stiles Road, Clontarf;
2. Oulton Road, Clontarf;
3. Castle Avenue (near Clontarf Castle);
4. Howth Road, Killester (Super Valu car park) and as far as Ennafort roads at start of Raheny;
5. Marino Park Avenue, Fairview, Dublin 3 (heard at same time as at Stiles Road and Howth Road Killester).

Living close to the Artane Roundabout myself, don't think I've ever heard it up that far, although I think I remember hearing some sort of humming noise during the night that used to keep me awake a while back but its either stopped or I've gotten used to it! Always thought it was rail related! Sounds like its a different one anyway!

Nonetheless this thread has caught my attention......so out of pure procrastination, I've plotted those points where its been heard above on an editable Google map, which anyone with a Google account can edit and add markers too! Might help pinpoint it.....happy hunting!!

Link to map is here

wally79

rob w wrote: »

Living close to the Artane Roundabout myself, don't think I've ever heard it up that far, although I think I remember hearing some sort of humming noise during the night that used to keep me awake a while back but its either stopped or I've gotten used to it! Always thought it was rail related! Sounds like its a different one anyway!

Nonetheless this thread has caught my attention......so out of pure procrastination, I've plotted those points where its been heard above on an editable Google map, which anyone with a Google account can edit and add markers too! Might help pinpoint it.....happy hunting!!

Link to map is here

Purely following this out of interest in the result as I don't live in the area.

From what is mapped so far it is centred around the Golf course. Is it some sound device meant to scare away nocturnal animals who might dig up the course.

Or someone is trying to fix a King of the Sheep competition using BBC sound effects vol 5

chopper6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hji_aUI1S2w

ixoy

Does the Clontarf Lawn Tennis Club have any PA system? It's in the vicinity of a number of those markers.

Avada

Could possibly be the PA system in Parnell Park either.

I'm 99% sure it's not the port.