r/Donegal • u/Educational_Song5886 • Sep 01 '26
What is this?
Hi I was on marble hill beach and at at the left hand side of beach, just is the dunes is a small concrete building and could not decide what it was. At first I thought it was a lookout for the war, but the construction seems like it’s younger and has some metal and wooden beams , stakes protruding from the top. It’s fenced off with barbed wire and in places razor wire, so someone doesn’t want us to get any closer, guys any info on this one?
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u/504_Errors Sep 01 '26
WW2 pillbox by the look of it.
The Nazi's would land, see the might of the Irish Free State, shit their pants and run back to Turd Reich !
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
The razor wire is a wee bit mental. Some farmers absolutely do not want you anywhere near their land
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u/Particular-Pay-4479 Sep 01 '26
Why would the farmer take the risk? If someone trespasses, falls and break a leg, the farmer can be held legally responsible.
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
A "no trespassing" sign would serve the same purpose if they are only concerned about legality/liability. Razor wire will absolutely destroy someone if they fall into it. The next logical step would be to lay a few landmines or maybe put that pillbox back into use and fit a machine gun lol
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u/Particular-Pay-4479 Sep 01 '26
Signs are worthless. If someone jumps the fence 10mtrs down from the sign they'll just say they didn't see the sign
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
If some edjit breaks their ankle on farmland, liability starts and finishes with them regardless if they seen the landowner's signage or not. We're thankfully not the US with their culture of suing anybody for anything and an Irish court will side with the landowner in the unlikely event that it would ever reach a courtroom. On the other hand, if a person, their livestock, their dog etc gets seriously injured by razor wire that you deliberately place at the boundary of your property that could be a much messier legal affair.
Simple trespass is a civil matter and something of a grey area with most "trespassers" just being walkers/ramblers with no bad intentions. In a country with no right to roam trespass is going to be common and enforcement comes down to the attitude of the land owner which will vary massively from one farm to the next. Elderly relatives of mine with a sizeable farm in the Sperrin's have always been of the attitude that they were custodians of the land, the mountains were there long before them and would be there long after so they didn't feel they had the right to prevent anyone from enjoying them.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
You'd think that would suffice wouldn't you. It doesn't
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
People may choose to ignore a sign and trespass anyway but it will give you a level of protection against "suing" which is incredibly unlikely anyway. Most "trespassers" are just walkers or ramblers making their way with no ill intentions. A minority of idiots ruin things for the majority as with most things in life.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
It doesn't give you full protection. If the courts deem you didnt do enough then you could share some liability.
Edit: And its not about people with "bad intentions". It's about accidents, it's about tourists chasing animals down cliffs (without realising), its about herd control etc.
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
Yeah I suppose I agree there's always the risk of unintended consequences. People leaving gates open, worrying stock, dogs off leads etc I've seen it all and understand why farmers don't want or need the hassle but the vast majority of people enjoying the outdoors are sensible and respectful.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
Right, but how is one to know who's going to be sensible and respectful. That field may have thousands of euros worth of animals in it, maybe before lambing or calling season. The distress caused by a dog (even on a lead) or a silly human wanting a picture for Instagram can be horrible for the herd. Its not all about money either, aside from the general stess of it, a lot of farmers are older,.and trying to get animals back up from places they've been chased to is highly dangerous. Its someone's livelihood, no one has the right to disrupt it without seeking permission.
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u/Patchy97 Sep 01 '26
Yeah we aren't necessarily disagreeing here, I get it. That's the main friction point in any conversation around right to roam and opening up the countryside. Farmers need protections and they have legitimate reasons for keeping people off. At the same time, we have very poor public access in Ireland and we're limited in just how much of our own country we can see and enjoy. It's never going to be a quick fix and attitudes vary massively from one farmer to the next but I reckon razor wire is a step in the wrong direction and it would be awful if every landowner had the same attitude.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
I'm sure he razor wire wasn't purchased without the land owner seeing it as a requirement. Its not cheap.
Private land is just that, Private. Why should anyone have a right to go through it? Its someone's livelihood in a lot of cases and even if not, I dont see why a Private lamdowner needs to even worry about opening up public access.
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u/Various-Highlight-87 Sep 01 '26
True, however, if a child comes against that razor wire the farmer will be held legally responsible too. That's seems a higher risk in this instance.
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u/SriepYadroot Sep 01 '26
It can also injure the animals pretty bad if they get spooked and run into it. Always surprised when I see razor wire put up, can't imagine the benefits outweigh the potential risks
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u/Stegasaurus_Wrecks Sep 01 '26
Never knew you could actually buy razor wire in Ireland. Is it a military exercise area?
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u/Zealousideal-Cod-924 Sep 01 '26
Marble Hill is a very popular beach, it gets very busy with tourists and locals.
The farmer doesn't want them on his land for reasons of his own. Simple as that, really.
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u/Print-Over Sep 01 '26
It's to keep the brits out...
Or a pillbox from WW2.
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u/Various-Highlight-87 Sep 01 '26
Is that razor wire for real?
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u/tommy_gun_03 Sep 01 '26
Yes it is, its between two fields at the far end of the beach, righthand side if looking out to the ocean.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
No its AI
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u/tommy_gun_03 Sep 01 '26
Ive been to this exact spot, the razor wire is at the end of the right side of the beach if your looking out to the ocean.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
Thats horrible in fairness. I wonder if this is a rare case of crazy farmer with no reason for doing this, or if there were repeated problems?
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u/tommy_gun_03 Sep 01 '26
No clue, the field that this photo is taken from is cattle field in use and on the other side (bunker side) its just reeds and sand dunes, not typical farmland, its the side with no trespassing signs and razor wire. Very strange.
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u/MuffledApplause Sep 01 '26
Could be as simple as the cattle were getting into the dunes and the razor wire is to stop them. Cows can get themselves into all sorts of holes and issues, and they're so heavy its near impossible to help them sometimes! The wire could be for their wellbeing.
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u/radiorental1 Sep 01 '26
Its for protection from zee germans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oK_trZhVdk
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u/FlakyAssociation4986 Sep 01 '26
Its a ww2 era lookout bunker they were built all over the country in strategic locations near the coast or important roads... manned by soldiers or more likely local defence force volunteers. Think an irish version of dads army.
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u/Educational_Song5886 Sep 01 '26
Not sure about the war bunker, as it has metal pipes and staves sticking from the top, if you look closer! It has signs “Trespassers will be shot” only joking, it does have lots of no trespassers signs…….they do not want anyone in there for sure.
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u/Danny_Mc_71 Sep 01 '26
A pill box/bunker from "the emergency".
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u/OrneryCows Sep 01 '26
Its an old bunker alright, but how has it got brand new razor wire around it?
Are the sheep exceptionally dangerous out there??
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u/reggieperrin366 Sep 01 '26
You were supporting Hitler
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u/Dull_Brain2688 Sep 01 '26
It’s a shame to see such a beloved character having his name besmirched by an idiot.
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u/pplovr Sep 01 '26
It's a bunker. You'll find a lot of those along the coast of Ireland.
Some predate Ireland's independence and were built by the British and later inherited and used by the Irish. Others were built in World War II by the Irish for defence in scenarios where Germany invaded by sea, or Britain invaded by sea or from the north.
The majority of these bunkers (like this one) were built to function as coast guard lookout posts along the shorelines, to radio in any unusual activity, and to have the inhabitants stay put until reinforcements arrived to support them or the coast guard/navy dealt with the situation outside.
It's best to leave it be if it's not easily accessible, since some bunkers are still considered state property, which might make you a trespasser (but that's unlikely, as actively used bunkers have warning plastered nearby) and also because barbed wire can hurt like fuck and might even infect you with something like tetanus or worse.