And so we come to the final chapter in the Ardglass lighthouse saga - the modern lighthouse. It was constructed in 1885 and 1886 and finally exhibited on the inner North pier in 1887, nearly fifty years after the last lighthouse proper was destroyed off the end of the south pier.
A terrible tragedy happened during the construction of the North pier and lighthouse when four young man rowed out to a dredger to affix a light to it and were drowned when the hurricane they were travelling in flipped over.
Belfast Newsletter April 26th 1887
It is a cylindrical cast iron tower on a concrete base, painted white with a maroon door. The tower stands 29 feet tall and, due to the numerous obstacles around it, flashes white, red and green, two seconds off, two seconds on.
Fish curing at Ardglass early 1900s
The lighthouse in 2009 (above) and 2012 (below) I have not visited for eleven years and need to visit again this summer, if possible. I visited on a sleepy midday when boats were probably out and everything was calm.
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