Almost 80 m long with a drop of 10 m, Firhouse Weir is an impressing achievement dating back to Norman times. Since then, the Dodder river and the weir have supplied Dubliners with water from the slopes of the Wicklow Mountains.
In the medieval city of Dublin, the river Poddle was giving enough water but with the growth of population by 13th century, the amount become insufficient. Two miles long transfer channel (known as the "City Watercourse") was build to overcome the shortage by connecting waters of the Dodder with the Poddle. The citizens of Dublin depended on its supply until 1775.
If you want to learn more, read these:
1. http://www.enfo.ie/leaflets/bs22.htm Dublin's water supply
2. http://templeoguetelegraph.com/templeogue_telegraph/The_River_Dodder.html
3. Moriarty C., Exploring Dublin: wildlife, parks, waterways. Dublin, Ireland: Wolfhound Press, 1997, Chapter 9.
The cache is a 2.6 litre container, so we hope it will serve well for the exchange of goodies and as a travel bug hotel on the south side. As a starter kit we put a brain-stimulating electronic game and mind-wiggling books ;-)
Please hide the container exactly as you found it and make sure it is well camouflaged. Thank you for adhering to the anti-muggle protection scheme :-)
Access by car:
Best from Firhouse Road, turn into Mount Carmel Park. There is plenty of parking space behind the local pub: N 53 17.218 W 006 19.906.
Access by bike:
You can get there from the north of the Dodder, using pedestrian/bike paths crossing the M50/ Tallagh Road roundabout. Aim at the middle of the bicycle bridge (N 53 17.467 W 006 19.865), then when at the end of the path on the western side of the roundabout, take the (only) way down.
Access by bus:
The closest bus stops are serviced by: 65 & 65B (Tallagh Rd.) and 49, 49A, 74, 75 (Knocklyon Ave.)
We hope you will enjoy this place with nice views and Dublin small 'Niagara Falls'. We encourage you to have a stroll down the Dodder Valley Linear Park and visit the nearby Tymon Park too!