School: Presentation Brothers' School, Cóbh

Location:
Cóbh, Co. Cork
Teacher:
An Bráthair Ó Doghair
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0385, Page 366

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0385, Page 366

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  1. XML School: Presentation Brothers' School, Cóbh
  2. XML Page 366
  3. XML “Rocky Island”

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  1. Rocky Island is situated to the southern side of Haulbowline. It had once the second largest magazine in the world at one time. Gibralter was then the largest. The island is about 800 by 300. The magazine had eight chambers each eighty feet long by forty feet wide and hewn out of the solid rock. Its walls and roof are 9' thick and it is floored with massive oak blocks. There is not a single nail of iron or steel in the whole concern. Locks, keys, fastenings of all sorts even the hinges on the doors and windows are either copper or bronze. It has double oak doors about four feet apart and six inches thick. There are two sets of chambers separated by a grass plot about 14' wide. In the centre of the island steps are hewn from the living rock to a height of about 20 feet. At the top of these steps is a level piece of ground at present overgrown with weeds and grass. On this platform there stood a lookout tower.
    Entirely encircling the magazine is a [?band] of copper 6'' wide and 1/2'' thick. It was placed there as a precaution against lightning. Running through one corner of the Rocky Island is a vein of red and pink marble. The waters adjoining the island are noted for the excellence of their
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Michael Smyth
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Cóbh, Co. Cork
    Informant
    Mr George Smyth
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Cóbh, Co. Cork