Galley Head Lighthouse is one of 70 lighthouses operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights around the coast of Ireland and plays a vital role in maritime safety.

It is also one of twelve lighthouses which make up Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a new all-island tourism initiative. Visitors can stay in a lighthouse keepers cottages and appreciate the spectacular natural coastline of west Cork. http://www.greatlighthouses.com for details.

This was one of the lighthouses that I wasn’t going to bother with. It’s unused and in a sorry state. As I started illustrating the lighthouses and told people about them, I realised that folks have an incredible fondness of their local lights and because these seagulls also have a very public fondness for Greenore, I’ve left it in.

Acording to Pete Goulding http://irishlighthouses.blogspot.ie - the lighthouse was built by George Halpin Senior in 1830. It stands a mere 36 feet high and was built to highlight the southern entrance of Carlingford Lough and also Greenore Port, which is actually the only privately owned port in the Republic. Greenore itself is pretty tiny with less than 1000 inhabitants.

Inishtearacht Lighthouse, Blasket Islands, County Kerry

Inishtearaght (the Western Island) is one of the Blasket Islands, the most westerly land in Europe apart from the nearby Foze Rocks and of course Iceland. The island is inhospitable - two steep pinnacles rising to 349 feet and 656 feet, joined by a saddle and a more rounded peak of 597 feet. The lighthouse took six years to build and was finally opened for business in 1870. 

Mutton Island Lighthouse in County Galway

The Galway Civic trust are undertaking the restoration of Mutton Island Lighthouse and Keepers Cottage. A castle on the island was demolished to facilitate the lighthouse when it was built in 1815. The Scanlan Family manned the lighthouse in the 1940s and 50s and much of the information we have on the lighthouse is due to them. The Galway Fleming family were contracted to provide relief to Mutton Island in their púcan boat. A series of flags illustrated the requirements of the island to the mainland. The Island was largely self-sufficient however. The last keepers left the island in 1958 when the light became automated. The light was then turned off in December 1977 after 160 years of service.

Kilcredaun Lighthouse, County Clare

The short squat-looking lighthouse at Kilcredaun was built in 1827 . The light was converted to acetylene gas in 1929, allowing for it to go for periods unmonitored and was then converted to electricity. It became fully automatic in 1991, with an attendant living on site. The light was monitored via a wireless link to the CIL offices in Dublin.

The light was turned off and permanently discontinued in March 2011 after operating for over 187 years, although all of the obsolete equipment has been left in place. A stroll around the grounds of the Lighthouse allows for beautiful views of the Kerry Coastline and mountains and the iconic Rehy hill.

Oyster Island Lighthouse, Rosses Point, county Sligo

Two lights were established on Oyster island in 1837 but the one you see now dates from 1893. It became a rear leading light with the metal man in 1932 and was eventually converted from acetylene to propane in 1979 and then to solar in 2003. 

In 2007 at the height of the boom, the island (in part) came up for sale at a whopping 750k. The Island was famous for its oyster fishery, with beds covering an area of seventy acres. The Island was at the centre of a major story in 1864 when the beds were raided by eight boatloads of men and twenty-five thousand oysters were taken.
In 1841, the population of Oyster Island was 28, mostly lighthouse employees and their families, but this figure had dropped to 19 in 1861. The population gradually decreased and on Census Day, 1986, the Island had one solitary inhabitant.

The Tower of Lloyd, Kells county Meath.

“I’m looking at the river, but I’m thinking of the sea.”

A little digression today; 

Randy Newsman’s words could have been written for the tower of Lloyd. A lighthouse that finds itself stranded twenty miles from the ocean. 

Built in 1791, the Kells lighthouse as it’s locally known was never meant to steer ships home, but instead was used to view horse racing and the hunt and was erected by the 2nd Earl of Bective in memory of his father. What should be a major tourist attraction just outside the hometown of the book of Kells is unfortunately used as a transmission tower and closed to the public.

Rathlin Easy Lighthouse, Rathlin Island, County Antrim

Rathlin East lighthouse is the location from which the world’s first commercial wireless telegraphy link was established by employees of Guglielmo Marconi, transmitting to Kenmara House in Ballycastle on 6 July 1898.

Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland, with a population of approximately 150 people, down from over a thousand in the late 19th century and is the most northerly inhabited island off the coast of Ireland. There are three lighthouses on the island; East, West and Rue on the south coast.  The eastern light was established in 1856. Originally the tower was unpainted. Then it was coloured overall white with a red band below the balcony. In 1934 for reasons I know not why, this was changed to black. In 1981 it was converted to electric and in 1995 it was automated and the keepers withdrawn from the station.

Straw Island Lighthouse, Inis Mór, Aran Islands, County Galway

Straw Island is a small sandy island that lies at the approaches to the harbour of Cill Rónáin on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands. The lighthouse on Straw Island is a small but highly important Aid to Navigation. The Aran Islands see a quarter of a million visitors annually travelling to their shores.
The light was the result of a long correspondence battle of over twenty years to have a local light built to replace the discontinued light near Oghil on Inishmore.
Inishmore was established in 1818 but unfortunately it was positioned too high, over 400 feet (122m) above sea level, and more often than not was shrouded in cloud or mist. Also it did not cover the North and South entrances to Galway Bay. Inishmore was replaced in 1857 by lights on Eeragh and Inisheer.

Rockabill Lighthouse, Skerries, County Dublin

In 1837 the Drogheda Harbour Commissioners proposed that a lighthouse be built on Rockabill off Skerries, and they stated that the shipping which frequented Drogheda would cheerfully pay a toll towards a light on Rockabill. 

The lighthouse tower was built 1855–1860 of granite from the Mourne Mountains in County Down and local limestone from Milverton. The name comes from the Irish name for the rock - Carraig Dá Bheola, meaning "Two Lips Rock".

The lighthouse was converted to automatic operation on 1 April 1989. The Lightkeepers were withdrawn and the station was put in the care of a part-time Attendant.
Skerries Sea Tours runs a passenger trip daily to the Lighthouse during the summer months: http://www.skerriesseatours.ie

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day. 

Inishtrahull Lighthouse, County Donegal

Inishtrahull, about six miles north of Malin Head, is the most northerly of Ireland's lighthouses and together with Tory Island they form the two main landfall lights for shipping from the Atlantic rounding the north coast of Ireland, alongside navigation to local shipping. 

Inishgort Lighthouse, Clew Bay, County Mayo

The lighthouse tower was originally built in 1806. The island was one of the last places in Ireland to be connected to the electric grid. Nearby is Dorinish, the island that John Lennon purchased in the late 60’s

The light was converted to solar power in July 2000.

Dunmore East Lighthouse, County Waterford

In 1814 when Dunmore was a very small fishing village nestling in a sheltered cove it was chosen by the Post Office to be the Irish terminal of a new Mail Packet route from Milford Haven. The Post Office engaged a Scottish Engineer, Alexander Nimmo, to design and build the new harbour for which he used the local old red sandstone conglomerate. His design included a magnificent lighthouse which took the form of a fluted Doric column with the lantern on top of the capital. There is no exact date as to when the light was established, but it was some time in 1825. The light as established was fixed, catoptric, 3rd order, showing red to sea and white or clear to land, it was 13.4m (44 feet) above high water and the tower painted white. In 1903 white gave way to the natural stone colour. Acetylene gave way to electricity on 24th January 1964 and since August 1981 the optic lamp is powered from ESB mains electricity.

Blackhead Lighthouse, County Clare, Ireland

Like a homesick dalek gazing off to sea, county Clare's Blackhead lighthouse perches atop the otherworldly surface of the Burren's coastline. It however has no desire for world domination, instead contenting itself by guiding wayward ships to shore.

The Burren or "the stoney district" from the Gaelic, forms the northern part of County Clare, bounded by the south shore of Galway Bay to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west. "Not a tree whereon to hang a man; no water in which to drown him; no soil in which to bury him." was the description of the district by one of Cromwell’s generals.

The establishment of the light was protracted only coming into full operation in 1936.

By 1939 as transatlantic shipping ceased coming into Galway bay, the maintenance of the light became a burden on the Galway harbour commissioners and they approached Irish Lights in April 1952 and enquired if they would consider contributing 50% of any increase granted and assist towards the maintenance of Blackhead out of the General Lighthouse Fund. Reluctantly, they said they were seriously considering discontinuing its function. In April 1955 Irish Lights did so and continue to operate Blackhead. On 18 February 2002 the gas light was change to a solar powered light.

Tuskar Rock Lighthouse, County Wexford

The Tuskar Rock lighthouse, built from granite and standing 120 feet (37 metres) tall, was built over a period of years beginning in 1812. In October of that year, a storm struck, washing away temporary barracks which had been erected on the island, and killing fourteen workmen—the worst such disaster in Ireland's history of lighthouse construction. The surviving workers clung to the island's slippery rocks for two full days before being discovered and rescued. Work resumed, and the lighthouse was completed, entering into operation on 4 June 1815.

During wartime small rocks like Tuskar were very vulnerable to drifting mines which had parted from their moorings. One of these mines exploded when it struck the rock on 2nd December 1941 injuring two assistant keepers, W. J. Cahill and P. Scanlan. Both were brought ashore by the Rosslare lifeboat but unfortunately Patrick Scalan died in hospital the next day

On 31st March 1993 the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and the keepers were withdrawn from the station.

Little Samphire Island Lighthouse, County Kerry

Little Samphire Island is home to a very compact light station, enclosed in a high wall around it's perimeter. The lighthouse is a 12 metre high, unpainted stone-built tower located just off of Fenit, outside of Tralee.Weather dependant, Little Samphire Island is open to the public during summer months and tours can be had of the lighthouse.

Blacksod Lighthouse, Mullet Peninsula, Co May

 Blacksod Lighthouse (Gaelic: Fód Dubh) is situated at the southern end of the Mullet Peninsula, Erris, County Mayo. The lighthouse was built in 1864 by one of the leading merchants in  Belmullet at that time, Bryan Carey.

The lighthouse is made of local granite blocks which are believed to have come from close by Termon Hill which is an isolated granite outcrop of high quality granite on the peninsula. The keeper's house is a two storey square building, which has always been unpainted. It is occupied by a resident lighthousekeeper who is also responsible for Blackrock lighthouse - see below. The house at Blacksod was badly damaged by a rogue wave in 1989 but has since been repaired and is still occupied.

Blacksod is of unusual design for a lighthouse, being a square block of a building with only a small conical lantern section on top of it which is painted white. Although it is easily accessible as it is beside Blacksod Pier, it is not open to the general public.

The Maidens Lighthouse, County Antrim

The Maidens lighthouses, on the Maidens in North Channel off County Antrim in Northern Ireland, date from 1829 and were built at the request of merchants and a royal navy officer. Lighthouses were built on both rocks; the West Maiden was abandoned in 1903 and the East Maiden was automated in 1977.

By October 1977, an electric light was added to the lighthouse and by 31 October of that year, the Keepers were withdrawn as the Maidens became an automatic operation and control passed to Ferris Point. Currently, the station is monitored by an Attendant as well as from the headquarters of the Commissioners of Irish Lights at Dun Laoghaire 

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size. 

www.irelandposters.ie

Haulbowline Lighthouse, Carlingford Lough, Co Down

The Haulbowline Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse, described as an "elegant, tapering stone tower". It is located at the entrance to Carlingford Lough, near Cranfield Point in County Down, Northern Ireland. The lighthouse was built on the eastern part of the Haulbowline rocks, one of a number of navigation hazards at the seaward end of Carlingford Lough. Construction of the 34-metre-high  stone tower has been described as "a remarkable achievement at the time", given the location "on a semi-submerged rock with fast currents running around it". Originally white in colour, the paint was removed in 1946 to reveal the stone beneath. The principal light is displayed 32m above sea level as a constant white light. A secondary light was also displayed on a balcony facing the sea, known as a half-tide light, this was lit when the state of the tide was such that there would be enough depth for ships to pass into the lough, and until 1922 a black ball was also raised on a mast above the tower during daylight hours, to indicate the same tidal conditions.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.

Clare Island Lighthouse, County Mayo

Clare Island stands guard at the entrance to Clew Bay, off Ireland’s western Atlantic coast. For almost two centuries, the island’s Lighthouse has been a nautical landmark perched high on the craggy cliffs, watching over Achill, Westport and beyond. Once a safe haven for sailors, this heritage property now offers sanctuary of a different kind. This architecturally majestic, listed building has been lovingly transformed into fully catered, luxury accommodation, complemented by magnificent sea views and an inspiring, natural environment.

The original lighthouse was built in 1806 by the Marquis of Sligo, on the isolated northern tip of Clare Island. Seven years later it was destroyed by fire due to the lighthouse keeper throwing ‘the snuffings’ of the wicks of candles into a tub which caught fire. The new lighthouse tower was built toward the end of 1818.

Clare Island Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1965 after an astonishing 159 years of service.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Old Head of Kinsale Lighthouse, Kinsale, County Cork

There are references to a lighted beacon at the Old Head in pre-Christian times. The first lighthouse, proper, with a design unique to Ireland, was a cottage-type, with an open coal fire in a brazier on its roof – you will pass its runs on the way out to the Lighthouse.A new lighthouse (across the road from the bazier ruins) was built in 1814. The tower was 12.8 meters (42Feet) high with a concentric building around the base to house the Keepers. The light was frequently obscured by fog or low cloud so it was decided to build a new lighthouse on the point of the headland. This was built by the Corporation’s tradesmen under George Halpin, the Corporation’s Inspector of Lighthouses’s supervision and completed in 1853. The 1814 tower was then partially demolished.In 1985 the fog siren was replaced by an electric horn controlled by a videograph fog detector. The fog signal was disestablished in 2011. Ub 1987 the lighthouse was automated and the Keepers withdrawn. Since then the Lighthouse has been in the care of a part time Attendant.This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day. The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.www.irelandposters.ie

Loop Head Lighthouse, County Clare

There has been a lighthouse at Loop Head since 1670, originally a signal fire on the roof of a single-storey cottage (which can still be seen on the grounds), where the lightkeeper lived.

The present tower, which stands 23 metres high, was built in 1854. The range of the light is 23 nautical miles and its ‘character’ is a white light flashing four times in 20 seconds. The operation was converted to electricity in 1871, and automated in 1991.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Blackrock Lighthouse, County Sligo

A beacon had been established on Blackrock sometime in the 18th century but had been washed away by 1814 according to the merchants of Sligo who were looking for the beacon to be re-established.

During 1821 the ship owners of Sligo requested that the Blackrock beacon be converted into a lighthouse and the metal man which was proposed to be placed on top should be placed on a pedestal on Perch Rock off Oyster Island. This happened in 1821 but Blackrock beacon was not converted into a lighthouse until 1833-34 using the solid beacon as the base of the tower, hence the outside spiral staircase to the entrance door well above the high water mark. The light was established on 1st June 1835. In the 1930’s, the the tower's colour was changed from white to white with a black band in the centre. It was converted to electric on 15th September 1965 when its character was changed to Fl W 5 secs.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Skelligs Lighthouse, Skellig Michael, County Kerry

Skelligs Lighthouse is one of the main sea lights off the South West coast and is located on the outer and larger of the Skellig rocks; eight miles (12.8km) from the nearest mainland point, North East of Puffin Island.

Legendary references to Skellig rocks go back to pre-Christian times; but the collection of beehive dwellings, oratories and crosses are attributed to Saint Finian around the sixth century. Located close to the beehives is a medieval chapel and two wells dedicated to Saint Michael, patron saint of high places. The monastery, as it is usually referred to, is positioned on the south side of the 611 foot North-East peak at a height of around 550 feet ) above sea level.

When Inishtearaght, the most westerly island of the Blaskets, 22 miles (35.4km) north of Skellig rocks, was established on 1st May 1870, the upper light of Skellig was discontinued. During the 1939-45 war, an aircraft crashed, exploded and fell in flames into the sea off the north side of the rock on 27th February 1944. A search by Keepers and a British aircraft found neither survivors nor wreckage. Fortnightly reliefs by helicopter took over from the Service Steamer out of Castletownbere in November 1969 and a reinforced concrete landing pad was built on the rock near the diesel derrick at Cross Cove.

22nd April 1987 was a sad day for Skellig Michael. After just over 160 years of continuous manning, the station was made unwatched electric. 

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Inisheer Lighthouse, Aran Islands, County Galway

Inisheer is a sea light on the southernmost extremity of the chain of Aran Islands and guides vessels into the southern entrance of Galway Bay. Originally a light was established on Inishmore near Dun Oghil at a height of 400 feet along side the Signal Tower. The light was first lit on 1 May 1818 with a revolving optic giving it a flashing character so as not to be confused with either Loop head to the south or Clare Island to the north, both of which were fixed or non-flashing lights. By 31 March 1978 Inisheer was converted to unwatched electric with three diesel generator sets and a mercury vapour lamp as the light source in the 1913 optic - driven by small electric motors. A standby lantern on the main lantern balcony operates from a battery if there is a complete electric breakdown. There is a monitoring radio link between the station and the attendant's house a distance of 2 km away.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Blackhead Lighthouse, county Antrim, Ireland

Blackhead Lighthouse surveys the sea from the edge of a majestic cliff on beautiful Belfast Lough in County Antrim.

Only half an hour from Belfast and on the causeway coastal route, Blackhead Lighthouse was built and its light first exhibited in 1902. The lighthouse also had an explosive fog signal when it first began operation. Blackhead Lighthouse would have guided many famous vessels during Belfast’s golden age of shipping, including the ill-fated Titanic. 
The station was converted to electric operation in 1965 with light keepers living on site until 1975.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Fanad Head Lighthouse, Co Donegal

Fanad light is classified as a sea light as distinct from a harbour light although it does mark the entrance into Lough Swilly which forms a natural harbour of refuge. Its location within the Donegal Gaeltacht (an Irish speaking area), on the eastern shore of the Fanad Peninsula, is truly breathtaking. No wonder it’s a highlight of the Wild Atlantic Way. It is also one of twelve lighthouses which make up Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a new all-island tourism initiative. Visitors from home and abroad now have the chance to visit or stay in a lighthouse and to find out about the history and heritageof the lighthouse and the region.

Fanad Head Lighthouse,  was conceived as essential to seafarers following a tragedy over 200 years ago. In December 1811, the frigate Saldanha sought shelter from a storm, heading towards Fanad as it frantically fought the raging wind and waves. Sadly, reaching shore safely never happened, and the ship was wrecked off the northern coast – its only survivor was the ship’s parrot.

Soon after, the Fanad Head Lighthouse was built to help guide ships and sailors safely on their journeys. It’s still there today, standing on a rocky outcrop blinking out to sea. Fanad Head has now been developed as part of the "Great lighthouses of Ireland" initiative and boasts a visitors’ centre and accommodation at the dramatic site.  

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Poolbeg lighthouse, south wall, Dublin

Poolbeg lighthouse, one of a formation of three, is located on the Great South Wall (South Bull Wall), at the Port of Dublin, which extends from Ringsend nearly four miles out into Dublin Bay. The wall was the world's longest at the time of its building, and remains one of the longest sea-walls in Europe. One of the other two lighthouses is located on the Bull Wall opposite, and the other on a wooden platform mid-channel.

The lighthouse is painted red to indicate ‘port side’ for ships entering Dublin Bay and North Bull lighthouse (on the other side of the bay) is painted green to indicate it is ‘starboard’.

Historically, the Ordnance Survey Ireland used the low water mark of the spring tide on the 8th April 1837 at the Poolbeg Lighthouse as a standard height for all its maps, a practice which continued up until 1958.

Poolbeg Lighthouse, now fully automated, is managed by Dublin Port Company .

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Bull Rock lighthouse, Beara Peninsula, County Cork

In March 1846 a request was submitted that lighthouses be established on Bull Rock, Galley Head to the west of Kinsale Old Head, and on the Foze Rocks off the Blasket Islands. Galley Head was approved but the Bull and Foze Rocks were postponed and ultimately Calf Rock (of Calf, Cow and Bull rocks) was chosen as the site for the lighthouse. The tower was completed in August 1864. The lantern, optic and revolving machinery were added the following year making the tower 121 feet high. The light was established on 30 June 1866, 136 feet above high water.

A severe storm early in 1869 washed away a section of the lantern balcony rail and a hut containing stores. The Keeper ashore thought he saw distress flags on the rock so with six boatmen braved the stormy seas only to find the Keepers on the rock were safe and sound. When the boat turned to return to the main land it was caught by the sea and capsized, all hands were lost.

On 27 November 1881 the lighthouse was destroyed by a violent storm, the tower complete with lantern snapped off above the strengthened base and fell into the sea. Fortunately neither the Keepers nor the three other men were in the tower and all six were taken off the rock two weeks later by the boat attendant helped by HMS Seahorse.

With Calf Rock damaged beyond repair thoughts turned back twenty years to Bull Rock being the most suitable of the three rocks. In February 1882 the Inspecting Committee of the Commissioners of Irish Lights recommended Bull Rock to Trinity House. 

Bull Rock is notable for the natural tunnel running right through it. It is situated off the entrance to Kenmare River, five-and-a-half miles from the mainland and two-and-a-half miles from the nearest point of Dursey Island. The station was completed in 1888 and on 1 January 1889 Bull Rock's light and fog signal were established.

The light was converted to electric power on the 21 August 1974 and on 31st March 1991 the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and the Keepers were withdrawn from the station.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

St John’s point Lighthouse, Killough, County Down

You can’t miss St John’s Point Lighthouse in gorgeous County Down. It's strikingly tall tower is marked with vibrant bands of yellow and black.  (The colours which distinguish it from other lighthouses are known as its daymark). St. John’s Point Lighthouse was designed by George Halpin Senior, one of the most famous civil engineers of the time. The light was first exhibited in 1844. The original lighthouse was painted white. In 1902 three black bands were added. Its current markings of black with two yellow bands have been in place since 1954. The tower was originally only 14m tall. It was extended to its current dizzying height of 40m in the 1880s and is now the tallest onshore lighthouse on the Irish coast. (Fastnet is the tallest offshore lighthouse). The lighthouse was automated in 1981.

St. John’s Point Lighthouse is now part of the " Great lighthouses of Ireland" initiative and visitors can book accomodation at this wonderful remote spot.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Cromwell Point Lighthouse, Valentia island, County Kerry

Cromwell Point Lighthouse is maintained by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and is a harbour light to guide vessels from the sea and lead them through the northern entrance of Valentia Harbour past Harbour Rock. The site of the Cromwell Point Lighthouse was originally home to a Cromwell Feetwood Fort believed to have been built in the 16th century which was one of two built on Valentia Island around this time. The first light for Cromwell Point was originally applied for on 30 March 1828 by the Right Honorary Maurice Fitzgerald, Knight of Kerry. Work commenced on the lighthouse ten years later in 1838, the light was first exhibited on 1 February 1841. Since November 1947 the light has been automated.

Cromwell Point lighthouse is now part of the "Great lighthouses of Ireland" initiative and is open to visitors from Easter to September

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

Hook Head Lighthouse, County Wexford

The present structure is about 800 years old and is the oldest intact operational Lighthouse in the world. Hook Lighthouse offers guided tours of the lighthouse tower all year round. Hook Lighthouse is one of the most fascinating examples of medieval architecture in Ireland. The tower stands four stories high with walls up to 4m thick. The tower itself consists of three rib-vaulted chambers in the lower tier while the upper narrower section would have carried the warning beacon. The tower was constructed of local limestone and the original building survives intact. The Lighthouse is also part of the "Great Lighthouses of Ireland" initiative

In 2001 the light was opened to the public as a tourist attraction after the old keepers houses were turned into a visitor centre. In January 2011 The Hooks fog horn was heard for the last time as all the fog horns were turned off. It was felt that seeing that the technology on modern ships were so advanced that the fog horn was no longer required. In June 2011 the structure was placed first in a Lonely Planet piece listing the "Top 10 Flashiest Lighthouses"; the author described Hook as "The great granddaddy of lighthouses"

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

The Baily Lighthouse, Howth, County Dublin

The first lighthouse on this site was built in about 1667 by Sir Robert Reading, and was one of six that Reading had received letters patent to build from Charles II in 1665. The original facility consisted of a small cottage and a square tower which supported a coal-fired beacon. Parts of the original buildings remain.

In late 1996, the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation, and the last of the Keepers left on March 24, 1997, making Baily the last Irish lighthouse to go automatic.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size.
www.irelandposters.ie

New project- Lighthouses

I've been undertaking an exciting new project recently: Documenting the dramatic and spectacular lighthouses that dot our coast. 

It's been an interesting journey literally and figuratively. There are just over sixty coastal lighthouses and dozens more harbour and estuary lights. ( I didn't include anything that doesn't at least look something like a  lighthouse - new lights tend to be an LED array on a tall pole).

I'll post up the pics over the coming weeks.

First up is Fastnet Rock on Mizen head.

Fastnet (possibly from Old Norse Hvasstann-ey, meaning "sharp-tooth isle" or called Carraig Aonair, meaning "lonely rock", in Irish) was begun in 1853. The new lighthouse was constructed of cast iron with an inner lining of brick. It had an oil burning lamp of 38 kilocandelas; in contrast modern lighthouses typically produce 1,300 kilocandelas.

The tower proved to be too weak, since gales shook it to the point that crockery was sometimes thrown off tables. A new lighthouse was designed and construction started in 1897 with the levelling of the site and the laying of 4,300 tons of granite blocks. The new lighthouse entered service on 27 June 1904.

In 1985, the lighthouse was struck by a rogue wave measuring about 157 feet (48 m) in height.

This is one of just over sixty coastal lighthouses and many more harbour and estuary lights I've illustrated. I'll be posting them up each day.
The A2 poster of 16 of the most iconic lighthouses is up and ready to ship. If you're interested in a particular lighthouse they're available in A4 or A3 size. 

www.irelandposters.ie

Roger O'Reilly

Roger O’Reilly is an internationally acclaimed artist who has worked for editorial and design clients across the globe. His award winning illustrations are characterized by a style which translates classic poster art into a modern and timeless look. The IrelandPosters.ie project is borne of his love of the golden age of poster art and the opportunity to create a new series of prints that reflect the rich cultural and natural diversity of this beautiful isle of ours. It's also been ( and will hopefully continue to be) a lot of fun.

The Kilkenny Poster

The poster features St Mary's Catholic cathedral whose unmistakable silhouette sits at a height above the city. The famous castle is also featured. Built in 1195 for William Marshall, 4th Earl of Pembroke, it has dominated the "high town" of Kilkenny ever since.

The "Marble City" refers to the limestone or "Black Marble" quarried in the region