What the ÉIRE 7 sign is all about: the Coast Watching Service, Dalkey and the Second World War
20 Lúnasa, 7:30in - 8:30in
- Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
- Castle Street, Dalkey, Co. Dublin
- A96 DE 61
- Co. Baile Átha Cliath
Dr. Michael Kennedy - Executive Editor, Documents on Irish Foreign Policy, Royal Irish Academy.
The Éire 7 sign at Hawk Cliff in Dalkey is a restored World War II ‘neutrality marker’. Originally built in 1943 by local Coast Watchers, it was buried for decades until rediscovered and excavated in 2018 by Dalkey Tidy Towns.
The excavation, extensive volunteer restoration work, and the history behind the ‘Éire sign’ are extensively detailed in the Dalkey Community Council newsletter archives.
Following the recent publication of the booklet on the Éire Sign 7 here in Dalkey: ‘Irish Defence Forces/Coast Watching Service/1939 -1945’, there is much interest in the history and preservation of these ‘neutrality marker’ signs at other coastal locations around Ireland.
Dr. Kennedy will talk about the Dalkey area during the Second World War, about the wartime Coast Watching Service at Lookout Post No. 7 in Sorrento Park and about the ‘Éire 7’ marker at Hawk Cliff, the wider context of which can be found in his book, Guarding Neutral Ireland.