Sea Walls Sea walls are built to break the power of the incoming waves. They are curved at the top
to push the waves back out to sea. Example: An example can be seen at Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Why is the top of a sea wall curved, such as you can see here?
Gabions
Gabions are steel wire cages filled with stones. They are then stacked on top of each other where they act like a sea wall. They are used to slow down or prevent erosion by breaking the power of the waves.
Example: An example can be seen at Lahinch, Co. Clare.
Why do you think the stones are put in cages rather than being built as a stone wall?
Rock Armour
Large boulders known as rock armour are placed at the base of a cliff, sand dune or sea wall. When a wave breaks, it will hit the rock armour and lose its energy. This reduces erosion of the coastline.
Example: An example can be seen at Strandhill, Co. Sligo.