The Sea Horse

Following a path back through time where horses once raced along its shoreline while echoes of an earlier tragedy reverbate across the rocks and dunes, we navigated the marshlands of the Cúl Trá at Rhineshark Bay.

© 2017 Cartophile's Log

In 1816, the Sea Horse transport ship carrying 260 soldiers and their families home from the Napoleonic wars floundered in nearby Tramore Bay. 363 men, women and children perished in the tragedy, one observed from the beach by a gathering crowd helpless to assist. January 30th marks the 201st anniversary of the Sea Horse tragedy.

© 2017 Cartophile's Log

In 1853, the old racecourse was built on 263 acres of reclaimed land at Rhineshark Bay; however, by 1911, it too had succumbed to the ravages of the sea, and meetings had to be abandoned for higher ground.

During low tide, the remains of the racecourse are visible as are the remains of the neighbouring old military barracks, which rises from the water and stretches like sharks' fins across the lagoon.

© 2017 Cartophile's Log

 
© 2017