Bullock Harbour

Bullock Harbour or Bulloch Harbour (Cuan Bhlóic) is a small working harbour located near the heritage town of Dalkey on the southeast coast of Dublin Bay in Ireland.

The current harbour quay and walls were constructed of local granite in the early 19th century where previously a rocky inlet had provided a natural harbour. Bullock Harbour is the subject of a specific local objective (SLO22) in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's county development plan.

History
Bulloch castle was built in the 12th Century by Cistercian Monks of St Mary's Abbey, in order to protect local fisheries. There was a small stone quay situated below the castle walls, which was partially sheltered by a breakwater. Records notably show the embarking and departure of several Viceroys at Bulloch en route to Dublin.

The quay would stay in use, unchanged from its medieval state, until the current harbour began construction in 1818, with the harbour being finished in 1819. The quay was heavily expanded, with a new granite pier and walls built to form the current harbour. Cranes were installed on the pier to facilitate the transport of stone, sourced from the rocks east of the harbour, and later used for the commercial transport of coal. Large iron rings, which can still be seen on the rocks outside the pier, were used to which boats in and out of the harbour.

Name
The name of the harbour and castle has variously been called Bullock, Bulloch, Bloyke and Bullog.

Location
Bulloch Harbour is located at the Sandycove (northern) end of Harbour Road in Dalkey, County Dublin. Bulloch Castle, an imposing Norman structure, overlooks the harbour which is ten minutes walk from Dalkey Dart Station.

Harbour activities
There are two businesses offering boats for hire for fishing, sightseeing or to visit Dalkey Island, about a kilometre away. Lobster and crabs are harvested when weather permits, and mackerel is fished for in season.

Marine leisure activities include kayaking, sea scouts, sea fishing and angling, and rock climbing.

Wildlife
A family of seals live at the harbour and like being fed by local children and tourists. Common and bottleneck dolphins have been reported in the vicinity. The diversity of marine flora and fauna reflects that of the Dalkey coastline.