Bridge, Doony, Co. Cork
Co. Cork |
Bridges & Crossings
The bridge at Doony, near Milford in north County Cork, is the kind of structure that most people cross without a second thought, yet it repays a moment's attention.
Spanning the River Deel on an east-west axis, it is built from random-rubble sandstone with limestone detail, a combination that gives it a quietly two-toned character, the rougher local stone doing the heavy work while dressed limestone provides the finishing touches at the most structurally critical points.
Four semicircular arches carry the roadway, each fitted with well-dressed voussoirs, the wedge-shaped stones that lock an arch into compression and allow it to bear load without mortar doing all the work. On the upstream, southern face, a prominent keystone marks the crown of each arch, and low pointed cutwaters, the narrow prow-like projections that divide the river current and reduce pressure on the piers, run down to the waterline. The parapet is capped with limestone slab coping, a neat practical detail that sheds rainwater and protects the rubble core beneath. The overall appearance is of a nineteenth-century bridge, competently built in the regional vernacular, without the ambition of a grand engineering project but with a clear understanding of what the site required.
