Gorse fire unearths World War II landmark
A GORSE fire on Bray Head that forced an evacuation of local residents has also revealed a World War II-era landmark.
‘ÉIRE’ signs, made of brightly coloured rocks, were placed around the coastline during WWII by Look Out Post volunteers to alert bomber planes that they were flying over a neutral territory.
However, they did not stop Nazi planes bombing Dublin’s North Strand on May 31, 1941, when 28 people were killed in what was claimed to have been an accident.
It was thought that none of the signs on the east coast were still intact but the Garda air support unit spotted the landmark during a recent flyover.
The ‘Éire 8’ landmark was revealed by a recent fire that damaged overhead railway lines and forced the evacuation of several local homes. An online project eiremarkings.org is documenting each ‘Coastal Watch’ site, while providing an interesting historical perspective.
According to the site: ‘Lighthouses were to tell the mariner where he was…’ and, during the war, ‘a large number of signs were placed along the coast to tell pilots where they were’.
It is the latest in a series of historical findings revealed by the hot weather.
Last week, remains of a building believed to have been the childhood home of St Oliver Plunkett was uncovered in Meath and, in July, archaeological discoveries were made near Newgrange, dating back to around 3,500 BC.