Tag Archives: madness

Plain crane madness

Plain crane madness down at the pier in Balydonegan. For years there was a perfectly serviceable wooden crane. Anybody could use to lift out their boat preceding a storm or at the end of the summer season. This eventually was replaced with a galvanised steel crane which was equally effective but would last a lot more years due to its construction techniques. In fact it would probably still be there today. However some bright spark decided that what worked for decades was not good enough. Lets replace what works with a high tech hydraulic crane and its control box. Total price probably in excess of 100000 Euros.

So along came the engineers and the technicians to install this wonderful new crane. A local fisherman suggested moving the control box higher up than it was. He was ignored. Result after the first storm the crane broke down due to a flooded control box. Along came the clever technical guys and moved the control box to an extra added expense.

Next winter came along and smashed the whole crane into a broken eyesore. It no longer works and cost the tax payer almost certainly in excess of 100K Euro. Maybe they would be kind enough to come back and give the pier back its galvanised crane, that withstood all the elements could throw at it and only needed a bit of grease.

Plain crane madness

Plain crane madness
The crane today unusable with smashed control levers
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Broken levers and cut hydraulics
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The control box back from the pier
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An example of the flooding

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The storms this year were very bad but the crane has not been working for quite sometime. Actually for the months that it worked it probably calculates to 10000 Euros a month.

Short video of storm.

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Southgate madness

Southgate madness the family walk about in the hills of Allihies looking at the old copper mines. Seeing the explosives building looking at the engine houses etc. A lovely summer day with a bit of a breeze to keep them cool as they were walking up and down the hills. The copper mines in Allihies Started in 1812 and finished after multiple tries in the late nineteen fifties.

Southgate madness

allihies man engine
Allihies Man Engine

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Explosive store room
Explosive store room

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southgate madness
Rachel, Vicky, Chris, Bradley and Mark Southgate on pig street, Allihies Copper Mines

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