Garfinny Bridge

Bridge in Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry
52°09′00″N 10°13′38″W / 52.149939°N 10.227143°W / 52.149939; -10.227143Carrieslocal roadCrossesGarfinny RiverLocaleGarfinny, Dingle Peninsula, County KerryFollowed byN86 bridgeCharacteristicsDesignArch bridgeMaterialStoneTotal length16 metres (52 ft)Width2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in)Height3 metres (9.8 ft)No. of spans1Design life500+ yearsHistoryConstruction startc. 1400
National monument of Ireland
Official nameGarfinny BridgeReference no.612 LocationMap

Garfinny Bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in County Kerry, Ireland.[1][2] The bridge was designated as an Irish National Monument.

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 centuries, 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][6]


It is the only bridge to be an Irish National Monument.[7]

References

  1. ^ Chatterton, Lady Georgiana (1839). Rambles in the South of Ireland During the Year 1838. Saunders and Otley. p. 223 – via Internet Archive. Garfinny.
  2. ^ Durell, Penelope; Kelly, Cornelius (16 August 2017). The Grand Tour of Kerry. Cailleach Books. ISBN 978-0-9537823-1-4 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Garfinny Bridge – erica goes traveling". ericagoestraveling.com. 3 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Garfinny Bridge near Dingle, built around 1580 this medieval stone bridge was built entirely wit - Picture of Dingle, Dingle Peninsula - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.ie.
  5. ^ "Stone Art". www.facebook.com.
  6. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". maps.archaeology.ie. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  7. ^ Tibus, Website design and development by. "Garfinny Bridge - Attractions - Museums and Attractions - All Ireland - Republic of Ireland - Kerry - Dingle - Discover Ireland". www.discoverireland.ie.