BRING ON THE ARTILLERY

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Surely an appropriate road name for military (albeit retired) to see and travel on their way from Killiney DART station to No.7 Martello Tower on the Killiney Hill Road.

This particular military road was originally a supply road for No.6 Martello on the beach but it does lead from the old lime kiln to the cabstand, and covers about half the distance from the station to No.7.

Nearing the Tower, you pass this NAMA monstrosity but it lies behind a large wooden gate and you won't quite see the above view from the Tower's own gunnery plain, only the roof. If ever there was a need for some real artillery target practice ...

But I'd better say no more in case I get blamed for anything that might happen in the future.

Those of the group who arrive in the bus will have experienced none of this.

This is our group, consisting mainly of retired military, from The Artillery Club, spanning a fair sample of commissioned officer ranks.

1 Brigadier General
1 Colonel
1 Lieutenant Colonel
4 Commandants
4 Captains
1 Lieutenant
1 Dublin Port Project Manager
5 Accompanying Ladies

And not forgetting the man on the wrong side of the lens.

Niall starts outdoors, explaining some of the intricacies of the Tower's design.

Followed by the Gunner's cottage, which had to be reconstructed from just a footprint.

The Artillery room with its slated roof and musket loops. There were many design and bureaucratic difficulties to overcome to bring you what you see here.

The building in the background is a work in progress. When finished it will provide accommodation, a heritage centre, and a conference room for talks and functions.

One member of the group did remark the curved frontage which mirrors the curve of the Tower.

I'm not going to take you on the full tour in this post. The group did go right up onto the crown of the Tower and viewed not only the 18 pounder cannon, specially cast in England, but they also got a great feel for the commanding position of this tower.

This was followed by some video presentations, which included the casting of the cannon, and culminated in the inauguration in 2008 when the cannon was fired.

You can catch up on most of this kind of stuff on the Tower's web page. You can read a recent article in the Dublin Historical Record for a full background account of the defence of the Bay from 1795 to the current restoration.

At the end, the ranking officer thanked Niall and presented him with the Club's crest (below) which will be displayed in a prominent position on the site.

There is a brief report on the visit in The Artillery Club's website

I am not a military person myself, but I am aware of how the absence of artillery may well have cost my uncle his life in WWI.