Murrough - RIP

BoJack Horseman

So, the very inevitable & very preventable has happened.

Our Murrough is no more....
While the local authorities had ample opportunity to engineer in some wave breakers, not bothering to do anything appears to be their preferred course of inaction....

So, this is what we are left with....

For context, the view of the remaining stretch looking back to the town...



And what we now have instead..... (forgive the failing light)




And the erosion has not stopped.... the flimsy fencing thrown up by the erstwhile inactive council has all but fallen into the sea...

Shameful that the authorities allowed this to happen.

BeepBeep67

It's unbelievable that despite the warnings that this has been allowed to happen, in the meantime they wasted money on a pretty useless few metres of cycle track.

Latest pictures of the erosion show the full impact on the Skycam Ireland FB Page

BoJack Horseman

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

It's unbelievable that despite the warnings that this has been allowed to happen, in the meantime they wasted money on a pretty useless few metres of cycle track.

Latest pictures of the erosion show the full impact on the Skycam Ireland FB Page

Great images from that guy.....

Only about 5 metres to go before the Dublin to Rosslare train line is gone too.

Its disgracefull that the council shovel-leaners throw together that useless & unwanted crossing at Leitrim place, meanwhile 500m north the Murrough disappears for want of some simple defence works

Del.Monte

What the hell is going on down there? Over recent years all that land between the railway and Broad Lough has been increasingly developed and must already be encroaching on the nature reserve, and now the beach as well. :mad:

hdowney

It's a disgrace. The railway will be next and Then itl head southward towards the houses

DubOnHoliday

Can't believe that this was allowed happen. When the first big hole opened last year, it was just left be. Action should been taken right away. A great ammenity has been lost to walkers, runners, bikers, for the sake of a few tens of thousands of euro.

As said above, the railway is next. I guess Irish rail will be forced to install a few rocks fairly sharpish as the council stands by doing nothing.

hdowney

There is a petition to be signed:

https://www.change.org/p/wicklow-county-council-cosec-wicklowcoco-ie-save-wicklow-murrough-before-its-too-late?recruiter=456377062&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=mob-xs-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

There is also a FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/Save-The-Murrough-165974973763985/?fref=ts

Calibos

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Can't believe that this was allowed happen. When the first big hole opened last year, it was just left be. Action should been taken right away. A great ammenity has been lost to walkers, runners, bikers, for the sake of a few tens of thousands of euro.

As said above, the railway is next. I guess Irish rail will be forced to install a few rocks fairly sharpish as the council stands by doing nothing.

I opened the thread and was :eek:

At least here in Bray we had open land to re-align the railway tracks when the North Strand eroded away years ago. Looks like there is nowhere for the railway line to move to down there. I was left thinking WTF?? ...and then I read the bolded part of your post and it all made sense. Wicklow CoCo know that they have Irish Rail by the balls and are waiting for them to blink first and shift the entire cost of the coastal protection to them instead.

DubOnHoliday

Calibos wrote: »

I opened the thread and was :eek:

At least here in Bray we had open land to re-align the railway tracks when the North Strand eroded away years ago. Looks like there is nowhere for the railway line to move to down there. I was left thinking WTF?? ...and then I read the bolded part of your post and it all made sense. Wicklow CoCo know that they have Irish Rail by the balls and are waiting for them to blink first and shift the entire cost of the coastal protection to them instead.

It was the same story between Greystones and Kilcoole a few years ago when the sea threatened to undermine the track. Irishrail had to install all the rock armouring.
Despite this work, at Kilcoole today the high tide nearly had water on the track. I was down at the breeches this evening also as the tide turned, I've never seen so much water down there, it's usually a small river under the bridge, it was 50 metres wide this evening with all the water flowing from the marshes.

Dr Strange

Wicklow COCO wrote:

Update on Response to Inclement Weather Conditions
...
Earlier this morning Council Engineers met on site with Iarnród Eireann Technical Staff in relation to erosion at the Murrough, Wicklow. Iarnród Eireann has confirmed that they are monitoring the situation and are keeping the matter under constant review. Wicklow County Council has recently been allocated funding for Coastal Protection Works at this location which are scheduled to start at the end of January 2016. However arising from recent events it is envisaged that additional works may be required and in this regard the Council will continue to liaise with Iarnród Eireann.
...

Link: http://www.wicklow.ie/update-response-inclement-weather-conditions

axe2grind

scheduled to start at the end of January 2016

The railway is not going to last till then, hell it may not survive tomorrow's easterly winds such is the rate of erosion the past month. I may have a look at tomorrow' s high tide at 15:15

hdowney

Yea isn't Gertrude due tomorrow. The tracks will hardly last past her

HighLine

CIE have commenced work on this this morning... it will be a race against time before today's high tide. Only 2 meters of land remaining before waves will break onto rail track (track and surrounding gravel is at a lower height that the remaining soil between sea). And when you consider that circa 6/7 meters of land has been eroded since the 23rd of December, the last section will really go quickly now that winds are starting to swing more easterly.

B0jangles

Absolutely ridiculous for IR to have waited until the track was practically in the bloody sea :mad:, the wind direction and strength today seem about as bad as they could be in the circumstances, and it's still more than an hour til high water.

Also what the hell was the idea in installing coastal protection there in such a piecemeal fashion? It's plainly obvious that the end of the rocky stretch is creating an eddy which is scouring out the land behind it - something that anyone with half a brain could have predicted would happen. Wicklow CoCo have a lot to answer for...

fred funk }{

How did it hold up overnight?

Mebuntu

Today Sun 3rd Jan.

B0jangles

Is that the extent of the new coverage - the patch inside/behind the existing coastal protection? Am I right to be thinking this will just move the problem about 20 feet down the coast?

BoJack Horseman

Interesting... so they are just walling off the area & not actually protecting any where further up....

The next storm will just cut in again where they have just dumped those boulders...

And there is nothing here that actually returns the amenity of the murrough to the people that council ineptitude allowed be destroyed in the first place.

Mebuntu

The spot where they are working is the most vulnerable and I'd say they are starting by plugging this glaring gap. This longer shot shows the length of beach that will also need priority but I'd go further and say that at least 200 yards requires urgent and immediate attention. I don't think they'll be taking the interests of the walkers into consideration.

BoJack Horseman

Mebuntu wrote: »

I don't think they'll be taking the interests of the walkers into consideration.

Doesn't look like it....

Does anyone know if this work is being done by the council or by Irish Rail?

HighLine

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Doesn't look like it....

Does anyone know if this work is being done by the council or by Irish Rail?

The work is being done by irish Rail. The council sat back and watched it erode away for years knowing that Irish Rail would have to step in at the last minute in order to save the line.

BoJack Horseman

HighLine wrote: »

The work is being done by irish Rail. The council sat back and watched it erode away for years knowing that Irish Rail would have to step in at the last minute in order to save the line.

Figured so.

DubOnHoliday

They should install a cycle track from the Murrough to Greystones whilst they are at it

Del.Monte

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

They should install a cycle track from the Murrough to Greystones whilst they are at it

No, just no! It's a peaceful area for nature lovers and walkers, and already has all the traffic that it can handle.

RosieJoe

I'm amazed that it got to this stage with nothing being done beforehand

BeepBeep67

Man in a white van had the car park entrance closed off today at lunch time.

DubOnHoliday

So what's happened so far? Are they gonna reinstate the collapsed area and rock armour it?

HighLine

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

So what's happened so far? Are they gonna reinstate the collapsed area and rock armour it?

Unfortunately I don't see that happening. I have read a report from a marine consultant who suggests extending the stone armor from the original stone and use steel sheet piling behind it. You could then reinstate some of the land that has been lost.

Here is a video taken today by Skycam Ireland. Click the HD button before watching for best quality.

https://www.facebook.com/575997309142272/videos/vb.575997309142272/973168332758499/?type=2&theater&notif_t=notify_me_page

HighLine

Here is a link to the report discussed above which includes an image of the proposals. http://friendsofthemurrough.com/Beacom_draft_erosion_plan.pdf

The report was drafted voluntarily by Shane Beacom, a marine consultant working in New York who was a former resident of the Murrough.

downey2003

Public meeting tomorrow 8pm in The Abbey Suite, Grand Hotel.

Wild Garlic

downey2003 wrote: »

Public meeting tomorrow 8pm in The Abbey Suite, Grand Hotel.

Hosted by?

hdowney

Wild Garlic wrote:

Hosted by?

Save the Murrough set it up. Open forum meeting for plans, ideas, suggestions etc etc

BoJack Horseman

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Man in a white van had the car park entrance closed off today at lunch time.

Which is moronic.

what right does a private company contracted to Irish Rail to close a car park like this?

There is the playground people might want to use after all

downey2003

That's ok. They park on the cycle path!!!

BeepBeep67

Effective, maybe, but my God ugly, hopefully there are further plans.

downey2003

At the moment it protects the rail line and gives us access to further up the murrough. But yes it cannot remain at this stage.

DubOnHoliday

Whats the latest down at the Murrough, have works finished?

downey2003

Temp. works to protect railway are done. Now it seems to be a talking game.

hdowney

As far as I can tell the temporary works done by Irish Rail have been finished. So 'for now' the railway is protected. I know that various groups have been down there looking at it

HighLine

hdowney wrote: »

As far as I can tell the temporary works done by Irish Rail have been finished. So 'for now' the railway is protected. I know that various groups have been down there looking at it

I wonder for how long "for now" will be. Judging by the images linked below, probably not very long.

https://www.facebook.com/Skycam-Ireland-575997309142272/?fref=ts

hdowney

quite likely. one more nasty storm and I'd say the tracks are screwed

recedite

If it follows the same pattern as the north beach at Greystones, the erosion will increase in intensity just beyond the end of the rock armour.
There is no real answer to this. Every time the rock armour is extended a bit more, the erosion increases at that point.
If the rock armour is extended all the way, there will be no beach left at all, except at a low tide.

BoJack Horseman

recedite wrote: »

If it follows the same pattern as the north beach at Greystones, the erosion will increase in intensity just beyond the end of the rock armour.
There is no real answer to this. Every time the rock armour is extended a bit more, the erosion increases at that point.
If the rock armour is extended all the way, there will be no beach left at all, except at a low tide.

There can be though... it just requires more imagination than dumping hundreds of boulders on the shore..

The ballgame is energy.
If energy can be dispersed, the erosion affect is contained.

It would be tricky to do & would actually require a bit of money & engineering.... but in the water itself, build piles... many many piles of steel reinforced concrete dug in very deep..

Allow the force of the sea to break against these in the water before it reaches the shore.
So the waves still wash ashore as normal, but with less energy than they would unimpeded.

Carawaystick

They had piles on North beach in Arklow, but didn't stop the sea in a a storm.

BeepBeep67

Looks like eventually that the protection works are coming to an end, was down there this morning for a trot.
They've reopened the northern most section where the boulders taper off and are in the process of levelling from there back to the car park.

Will be interesting to see how they finish this off, if they just plop topsoil on it with little opportunity for it to seed before the winter then surely it will be a mucky mess. Doesn't look like they are planning to extend the prom anyway.

Although I would like to see it reopen asap, hopefully they keep it closed off until spring and let it settle into a nice grass track.