The chimneys of Poolbeg thermal generating station, known locally as Pigeon House, are an iconic part of Dublin's skyline. Situated on an artificial peninsula of reclaimed land, they feature in music videos, movies, and novels. The distinctive red and white twins were built in 1969 and 1977 and are approximately 207.5m high. Home to the occasional peregrine falcon and charity abseiler, they were decommissioned in 2010. The ESB threatened to demolish them, but due to public outcry, the chimneys were granted protected status in July 2014. May they guard the mouth of Dublin Bay for generations to come! “Pigeon House” station itself first began generating electricity in 1903. It gets its name from the caretaker’s lodge, built way back in 1760, to provide shelter for labourers building the Great South Wall. John Pidgeon was the first caretaker, hence the name. He set up a kitchen there, originally just for local labourers. However, it soon became a popular restaurant for the general public and then a hotel. But revolution was in the seaside air, and after the failed Rebellion of 1798, the site morphed again in to the Pigeon House Military Fort. An impressive base boasting trenches, drawbridges, and its own hospital. Change came again in 1897. Dublin Corporation converted the site to a sewage processing facility, and then its final reincarnation was an electrical power station. The name "Poolbeg" originates from the Poolbeg lighthouse, built in 1767 on the aforementioned Great South Wall. It marked the “Poole Begge”, the tidal pool at the entrance to Dublin Harbour.