21 September 2023
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Flag of Portugal: Cork has an historic connection with Lisbon
Earthquake lecture
There is a lot of interest in this evenings (21st) Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage public talk on the effects of the Lisbon Tsunami of 1755, which altered much of the coastal landscape of West Cork and other areas. The talk will be delivered by Dr. Robert Devoy, of UCC at the Clonakilty GAA Pavilion at 8.30pm. A €5 (cash only) charge applies on the door and there is no pre-booking. Attendees are advised to arrive early to get best seats!
Entitled, “The Impacts of the Lisbon 1755 Tsunami Event On Ireland’s Coasts: Fact, Speculation and Fantasy”, Dr. Devoy will recall the early hours of 1st November 1755, when Lisbon was affected by a very powerful earthquake that violently shook the western and southern parts of Portugal. A huge tsunami resulted from the energy of the earthquake, with huge waves engulfing Lisbon itself and the waves carrying millions of tonnes of rocks and sand reaching as far as Brazil, North Africa and Britain and Ireland to the north. The fallout of the tsunami altered much of the West Cork coastline, including Long Strand and the dunes there. Dr. Robert Devoy is Professor in Geography (emeritus), University College Cork (UCC) and Prof. of Physical Geography, UCC and is currently a member of the Climate Council of Ireland’s, Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Committee and a consultant in the Centre for Marine and Energy-based Research Ireland (MaREI), Environmental Research Institute, UCC. He retired from UCC in 2011, to continue coastal research studies in MaREI, UCC and to develop The Coastal Atlas of Ireland, published by Cork University Press in Sept. 2021.
See Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage Facebook page for further information.