It has one of a trio of port lighthouses at the end of its extension breakwater, and a statue of Realt na Mara ('Mary, Queen of the Sea') partway along, and was responsible for the formation of North Bull Island with its nearly 5 km of beach.

[citation needed] After years of primitive dredging, an attempt to maintain a clear main channel to Dublin more effectively was begun when, in 1715, the first piles were driven of what was to become the Great South Wall, completed in 1730 to 1731.

This barrier was breached by storm action some years later, and in 1761, a stone pier was commenced, working from the Poolbeg Lighthouse, 1768, back to shore, the construction, of massive granite blocks, being completed in 1795.

Captain William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, surveyed Dublin Bay for the Ballast Board in 1801, highlighting the potential of the North Bull sand bank and proposed a design for the wall that was ultimately not used.

[citation needed] While the basic structure of the wall has remained unchanged since the late 19th century, a significant addition was that of a statue of Réalt na Mara ('Our Lady, Star of the Sea'), erected from subscriptions from dockers, others working around Dublin Port, and a range of companies.

The structure comprises a trio of concrete pillars meeting in a globe, on which the crowned statue of Mary stands; sculpted by Cecil King.