tarboat's photos with the keyword: dromineer

Corrugated iron maker's mark in the roof of a derelict holiday home at Dromineer in the Irish Republic Galvanised iron with the Redcliffe brand stamp has been manufactured since mid-1874 by a partnership between William Bomford Wright and Joseph Tinn, trading under the name W.B. Wright & Co., Chapel Street, St. Philip’s, Bristol. The trademarks and goodwill associated with the Redcliffe Crown Galvanised Iron Works were acquired by John Lysaght Ltd on 21 May 1895 for £990. In 1920 Lysaght sold its British interests to Guest Keen and Nettlefolds (GKN). While the brands ‘Queen’s Head,’ ‘Fleur-de-Lis’ and ‘Orb’ were continued from previous times, the Redcliffe Crown brand seems to have been discontinued at that time. Information from: Redcliffe Crown Corrugated Iron in Australasia, Its History, Marketing and Distribution 1875-1921 - Dirk HR Spennemann

This is another example of the type of holiday homes that were once common in Britain and Ireland. Here at Dromineer on the shore of Lough Derg there are several decaying homes that are not likely to survive much longer.

I have always loved to see historic boats in use on the waterways. This is the Phoenix which was built in 1872 to the design of Andrew Horn at the Neptune Iron Works, Waterford (Malcolmson Bros.) The boat was built for Francis Spaight of Derry Castle on Lough Derg, possibly as a wedding present for his son, William. For most of its life the boat has been based on the Shannon and around Killaloe in particular. The steam engine was replaced by a two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine, made by Ellwe of Sweden. It had a compressed-air start mechanism and developed 36ihp at 475rpm. In 1966 the Ellwe engine was replaced with a Perkins S6. Still based at Killaloe the Phoenix is seen here leaving Dromineer on Lough Derg after a regatta. More history of this vessel can be found at iwn.iwai.ie/v26i2/phoenix.html .

During the first half of the 20th century there were many hundreds (possible thousand) of holiday homes to be found across Britain. Today very few survive as holiday requirements have changed and few people are prepared to accept the rather basic conditions that these places offered. In the Irish Republic there are a number of survivors in better condition than most of those in the UK. Even so, it is clear that neglect has set in at this lovely example at Dromineer on the shores of Lough Derg. To make the shot I had to hold the camera over my head in order to clear the rather overgrown hedge that is symptomatic of such places.