Dec 30, 2025
In 1800–01, Captain Bligh surveyed Dublin Harbour, advised on raising the South Wall seaward section, and crucially recommended construction of the North Bull Wall, whose eventual completion led to the creation of Bull Island. Become a member of Turtle’s History...
Dec 1, 2025
In the 18th century, Captain James Cook mapped vast areas of the Pacific, including the full coasts of New Zealand and eastern Australia, disproving the myth of a large southern continent and greatly expanding European geographic knowledge. Become a member of Turtle’s...
Sep 28, 2025
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of the two canals that connect Dublin to the River Shannon in the west of Ireland. Its main line runs for 132 km (82 miles), and takes in 43 locks, five of which are double locks. How the Grand Canal come about, and why did it took...
Sep 13, 2025
Birr’s Cumberland Column, erected in 1747 to honour the Duke of Cumberland’s Culloden triumph, was once crowned with a Roman-style statue and is Ireland’s oldest pillar. Parsons and Chearnley dreamed of Gothic grandeur, but only the column stands. Become a member of...
Aug 21, 2025
The expression ‘Bob’s Your Uncle’ derives from when Arthur Balfour was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland by his uncle Lord Salisbury, the Prime Minister. This account looks at the Boyle, Ponsonby, Foster, Parnell and O’Connell families. Become a member of...
