Black Head Lighthouse




On a wild and windy day, we rounded the north west coast of co. Clare and nearly missed it, as it is set down near the shore behind a wall, Watch out for a gate with a yellow sign marked Caution - No entry. Stone steps lead down to it. Parking space for one car opposite the gate!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rotten Island, county Donegal

Image
When this blog started, many moons ago, it was a simple 'visit a lighthouse, take a photo or two and add a bit of info' sort of a blog. For better and worse, it has become much more historically minded and the need to have visited has gone. So it is something of a breath of fresh air to get out and actually visit an Irish lighthouse I had never seen. So, an unexpected free day at the start of September, saw me up early and driving across the country to south-west Donegal to bag the last of the easily baggable lighthouses. I could have taken a boat tour and got pretty close to Rotten Island but the distance from the mainland seemed minimal. Basically, I got to Bruckless and, with the help of Google Maps, headed for the Atlantic View B & B, which ended at a stony beach. Parking up (making sure I left a gap for any boat-laden cars to get through) the lighthouse was visible from the beach (see next photo) The tide was low so I walked up the beach towards the lighthouse, eventua...
Read more

Calf Rock

Image
It is nearly three years now since I started making plans to see the remains of the infamous Calf Rock Lighthouse off the tip of Dursey Island, a stark reminder of the terrible power of the sea. Two years ago we came down with the express purpose of seeing it but were thwarted by maintenance to the cable car, the only viable means for tourists to reach the island. This year we were luckier and crossed early in the morning, albeit on one of the windiest days I've ever known. Not blustery, just a constant driving wind that increased in intensity the nearer you got to the western tip of the island. Small wonder it has been called the windiest place in Europe. Due to the frequency of shipwrecks off the south west coast of Ireland, a decision was reached in 1857 to construct a lighthouse off the end of Dursey Point. There were many (the contractor included) who argued that the Calf Rock was too low an island to place a lighthouse and that Bull Rock, a little further north ...
Read more

Roll call of Irish lightkeepers 1918

Image
Michael Woods was at Mew Island in 1918 This is a list which might be of interest to some readers who have lightkeepers in their family tree. And to former keepers who will doubtless recognise surnames from their own service. It lists all Irish Lights keepers as of 1918, giving such information such as service number, rank, date and place of birth, date of entering service, date of promotion to present rank, present station and date of being posted there, marital status, number of dependent children and special notes.
Read more