The reader of Harry Gilligan’s excellent treatise on the History of Dublin Port (Published by Gill & Macmillan in 1988) will quickly realise that the development of the Harbour and Port of Dublin was in the hands of a number of inspiring and colourful characters.

The second half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the following century witnessed a great expansion in world trade, and demands by shipping companies for secure deep-water berthing in the major ports could no longer be ignored.

As Chief Port Engineer, Bindon Blood Stoney bridged the period during which the Corporation for Improving and Preserving the Port of Dublin (commonly known as the Ballast Board) was replaced in 1867 by the Dublin Port & Docks Board, thus paving the way for the acceleration of engineering work leading to the creation of a modern deep-water port to serve an expanding economy. He was heavily involved in directing all the engineering work in the port, including the rebuilding of two of the major bridges spanning the River Liffey.

John Purser Griffith served as an assistant engineer to Bindon Blood Stoney at Dublin Port before taking over as Engineer-in-Chief in 1898. During his time at the port, Purser Griffith was responsible for the introduction of an extensive system of dredging and land reclamation, as well as the electrification of the port. Throughout his long career in the port and as an independent consulting engineer, he made a major contribution to the engineering profession and to the development of the Irish nation.

Author bio
Ronald Cox MA, MAI, PhD, FIEI, FIAE, AMICE, AMASCE is a Chartered Engineer and a well-known civil engineering historian. He is currently a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. Upon retiring from the full-time staff in 1995, he founded the Centre for Civil Engineering Heritage at TCD, of which he is the Director. He is a founder and honorary life member of the Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland and the current Chairman of Engineers Ireland Heritage Society. His recent publications include Ireland's Bridges (2002) (with M. Gould), Engineering Ireland (2006) (Editor), Civil Engineering at Trinity (2009), Ireland's Civil Engineering Heritage (2013) (with P. Donald), Called to Serve (2015) (with D. O'Dwyer), and Called to Serve Two (2019).