Groynes in the sand as the water rushes away to do battle with another wave coming in. The ever-present push and pull of the tide, defeated for some time at least by these wooden posts.

A groyne standing upright by the seashore near Youghal. The wooden post in this photograph is part of Youghal’s coastal defence system called groynes. They are structures built perpendicular to the shore to prevent beach erosion by trapping sand moved by longshore drift. These timber groynes at Youghal are regularly maintained and replaced as part…