The Diving Bell is an historical engineering monument located on Sir John Rogerson`s Quay on the south side of Dublin`s Docklands.
It is part of Dublin Port's "Distributed Museum" initiative and is freely accessible to the public 24/7.
Purpose The 90-tonne wrought iron bell was designed by port engineer Bindon Blood Stoney and used from 1871 until 1958 to build the deep-water quay walls of Dublin Port.
Operation It functioned as a mobile caisson, lowered into the riverbed to allow six men to work in a dry, compressed air environment, excavating the area where massive 350-tonne concrete foundation blocks would be placed.
Innovation The use of large pre-cast concrete blocks and the diving bell was a groundbreaking and internationally recognized engineering feat at the time, earning Stoney the nickname "the father of Irish concrete".
