Haulbowline
Encyclopedia
Haulbowline is the name of an island in Cork Harbour
off the coast of Ireland
. It is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service
.
ál-boling or similar = "eel dwelling" ("area where there are conger eels"). The 17th and 18th-century spellings end in "-ing"; there may have been nautical influence on the spelling later.
. Later, the British Army moved to nearby Spike Island
, and the fortifications were handed over to the Royal Navy
. The Navy established a large arsenal on the island, and a naval dockyard was built during the Napoleonic Wars
.
The world's first yacht club
was founded in Haulbowline in 1720.
Unlike the other fortifications in Cork Harbour
, which formed part of the treaty ports
, the dockyard was handed over to the Irish Free State
in 1923, and remains the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service
. The majority of the Naval Service campus is on the west of the Island - save for the service's football pitch which was reclaimed from land on the eastern side in the 1980s.
In July 2006, it was announced that the former site of Irish Steel would be developed with apartments, offices, a hotel and a marina planned for the site, however no definitive use for the site was subsequently confirmed.
On 11 March 2008, one of the historic 19th century storehouses on Haulbowline Island was destroyed by fire.
Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" . Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, and Poole Harbour...
off the coast of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service
Irish Naval Service
The Naval Service is the navy of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its main base is in Haulbowline, County Cork....
.
Etymology
The island's name may derive from Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
ál-boling or similar = "eel dwelling" ("area where there are conger eels"). The 17th and 18th-century spellings end in "-ing"; there may have been nautical influence on the spelling later.
Naval history
At a strategic and deepwater position in the harbour, the island has long been a military base. The island was first fortified in 1602, and initially an important base for the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. Later, the British Army moved to nearby Spike Island
Spike Island, County Cork
Spike Island is an island of 103 Acres in Cork Harbour, Ireland.It was significant in the French intervention following the Glorious Revolution, and was later purchased by the British government in 1779 – becoming the site of Fort Westmoreland...
, and the fortifications were handed over to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The Navy established a large arsenal on the island, and a naval dockyard was built during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
The world's first yacht club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the world's oldest founded in 1720, although this record is challenged by the Neva Yacht Club.- Formation and claim to be the world's first yacht club :...
was founded in Haulbowline in 1720.
Unlike the other fortifications in Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" . Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, and Poole Harbour...
, which formed part of the treaty ports
Treaty Ports (Ireland)
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deep water Treaty Ports at Berehaven, Queenstown and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom as sovereign bases in accordance with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 6 December 1921...
, the dockyard was handed over to the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
in 1923, and remains the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service
Irish Naval Service
The Naval Service is the navy of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its main base is in Haulbowline, County Cork....
. The majority of the Naval Service campus is on the west of the Island - save for the service's football pitch which was reclaimed from land on the eastern side in the 1980s.
Other uses
Irish Steel was previously based on the east of the island; however, the plant closed in 2002. Much radioactive and Chromium 6 contamination remained in the soil after the steel making process was terminated.In July 2006, it was announced that the former site of Irish Steel would be developed with apartments, offices, a hotel and a marina planned for the site, however no definitive use for the site was subsequently confirmed.
On 11 March 2008, one of the historic 19th century storehouses on Haulbowline Island was destroyed by fire.