Garfinny Bridge
Garfinny Bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in County Kerry, Ireland.[1][2] The bridge was designated as an Irish National Monument.
Garfinny Bridge Droichead na Gairfeanaí | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 52.149939°N 10.227143°W |
| Carries | local road |
| Crosses | Garfinny River |
| Locale | Garfinny, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry |
| Followed by | N86 bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | Stone |
| Total length | 16 metres (52 ft) |
| Width | 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 3 metres (9.8 ft) |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| Design life | 500+ years |
| History | |
| Construction start | c. 1400 |
| Official name | Garfinny Bridge |
| Reference no. | 612 |
| Location | |
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Location
Garfinny Bridge crosses the Garfinny River on the Dingle Peninsula, 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) east-northeast of Dingle.
History
The bridge is believed to have been built in the 14th or 15th century, and was supposedly crossed by Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton (Lord Deputy of Ireland) in 1580 with his men on the way to the Siege of Smerwick, where they killed hundreds of prisoners.
By the 19th century, the bridge had begun to collapse and people forded it nearby. Nowadays, road traffic crosses over a modern bridge to the north.[3]
Description
Garfinny Bridge is a dry stone bridge made without mortar: the arch consists of radial stones which ‘spring’ from stones projecting over the river in a corbelling technique.[4][5]
It is the only bridge to be an Irish National Monument.[6]
References
- Chatterton, Lady Georgiana (1839). Rambles in the South of Ireland During the Year 1838. Saunders and Otley. p. 223 – via Internet Archive.
Garfinny.
- Durell, Penelope; Kelly, Cornelius (16 August 2017). "The Grand Tour of Kerry". Cailleach Books – via Google Books.
- "Garfinny Bridge – erica goes traveling". ericagoestraveling.com.
- "Garfinny Bridge near Dingle, built around 1580 this medieval stone bridge was built entirely wit - Picture of Dingle, Dingle Peninsula - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.ie.
- "Stone Art". www.facebook.com.
- Tibus, Website design and development by. "Garfinny Bridge - Attractions - Museums and Attractions - All Ireland - Republic of Ireland - Kerry - Dingle - Discover Ireland". www.discoverireland.ie.