- George Halpin
George Halpin (Sr.) (?1779 – 8 July 1854), was a prominent
civil engineer andlighthouse builder, responsible for the construction of much of thePort of Dublin , several of Dublin's bridges, and a number of lighthouses; he is considered the founding father of the Irish lighthouse service.Pelly, F. " [http://www.cil.ie/sh832x4997.html George Halpin Senior] ,Commissioners of Irish Lights , ("BEAM" magazine), 33] His son, George Halpin (Jr.), was also a well-known lighthouse builder.Biography
Very little is known of Halpin's early life, though it is known that his background was in the building trade rather than in engineering. In 1800, he was made the Inspector of Works for the
Dublin Ballast Board (the predecessor to theCommissioners of Irish Lights ), succeeding Francis Tunstall, and in this capacity was responsible for a number of works.Skempton, p. 293] One of these, theBull Wall , along with associated projects, led to the creation ofBull Island inDublin Bay , and enabled deep-draught ships to use the port for the first time.Skempton, p. 294]Halpin was appointed the Inspector of Lighthouses in 1810. Between then and 1867 Irish lighthouses increased from fourteen to seventy-two under his direction. He established 53 new lighthouses, in addition to modernising a further 15: his projects included the
Baily Lighthouse , the secondMew Island Lighthouse, and the Skelligs Lighthouse. He also set up the Irish lighthouse service's administration and management procedures, regularised employment oflighthouse keeper s, and continued to oversee the development of Dublin's port.Halpin died in 1854, and was buried in
Mount Jerome Cemetery , Dublin. He was succeeded as Inspector of Lighthouses by his son.ee also
*
Lighthouses in Ireland References
;Notes
;Sources
* Gillingan, H. A. "History of The Port of Dublin", Gill & Macmillen, 1988, ISBN 071711578X, contains an overview of Halpin's career.
* Skempton, Sir A. & Chrimes, M. (eds) " [http://books.google.com/books?id=jeOMfpYMOtYC A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500 to 1830] ", Thomas Telford, 2002, ISBN 9780727729392
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
