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Return to Co. Wexford list |
Go to Prehistoric Alignments & Dials |
Go to Ancient Monastic Dials |
Go to Medieval Dials |
Go to Modern (1600+) Dials |
Go to Sundial Info.and Books |
 Wexford Sundial |
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Duncannon Fort is a star-shaped
fortress on a promontory overlooking Waterford Harbour. It was built in 1586 in
preparation for an attack by the Spanish Armada. There had previously been a
Celtic fort and a Norman castle on the site. It remained in the control of the
British Government until 1922 when it was burned by the I.R.A. during the War
of Independence. It was re-built at the outbreak of World War II and in 1993 it
was handed over to Wexford County Council and it is now open to the
public. In the centre of the parade ground stands the 450mm square Kilkenny limestone Comoradh Sundial. This was commissioned in 1998 as a permanent memorial to the people and the events of 'The Rising' of 1798, during which Wexford played a leading role in that tragic conflict. The 1150mm high pedestal has an Irish harp carved on one side along with the words: "Commemorating the People of 1798" and on the opposite side is carved an Equation of Time table, with instructions on how to convert sundial time to Greenwich Mean Time. The dial is engraved to show the time from 4a.m. to 8p.m. in Roman numerals with hour, half hour, quarter hour and 5 minute divisions. There is a noon gap to compensate for the thickness of the brass gnomon which has a nodus (a 'w' shaped nick). When the shadow of the nodus coincides with the declination line on the dial it marks the date, the 26th of May, on which 'The Rising' commenced. The dial, graphics and lettering were carved by the sculptress Tania Mosse, Owen Deignan did the sundial and declination calculations, Ted Sweeney fabricated the brass gnomon. Lat 52°13' North Long 6° 56' West Irish Grid S 272750 108380 |