lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
located on the
Inishtrahull Island
Inishtrahull ( ga, Inis Trá Tholl, possibly "island of the empty beach" or "island of the yonder beach") is the Extreme points of Ireland, most northerly island of Ireland. It has an area of and lies about northeast of Malin Head, County Do ...
off the coast of
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
rounding the north coast of Ireland, and navigation to local shipping. Work on the first lighthouse, situated at the east end of the island began in 1812, primarily due to
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
ships using
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle ( or "loch of the lip"), is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over ...
.
Designs for the lighthouse were drawn up by a
George Halpin
George Halpin (Sr.) (1779? – 8 July 1854), was a prominent civil engineer and lighthouse builder, responsible for the construction of much of the Port of Dublin, several of Dublin's bridges, and a number of lighthouses; he is considered the foun ...
, a Senior Inspector of Lighthouses. Acting on behalf of the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin.
The first Light was established on 17 March 1813. The height of the tower was approx. 12.8 metres. Later a
dioptric
Dioptrics is the branch of optics dealing with refraction, similarly the branch dealing with mirror
A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of ...
apparatus was installed in the tower and came into operation on 29 September 1864.
At the start of the 20th century, it was decided that a
fog signal
A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...
was required in the area of
Malin Head
Malin Head ( ga, Cionn Mhálanna) is the most northerly point of mainland Ireland, located in the townland of Ardmalin on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. The head's northernmost point is called Dunalderagh at latitude 55.38ºN. It is ...
. It was decided that it would be constructed at the west end of the island and came into operation in 1905. There were, therefore, two separate establishments on the island. In 1952 the
Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights ( ga, Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacen ...
decided to update the fog signal the lighthouse. It was decided that the best way to do so would be to build a new lighthouse beside the fog signal station at the west end of the island and to discontinue the lighthouse at the east end.
The existing lighthouse was completed and began service on 8 October 1958. It is 23 metres tall to the balcony and has a Lantern of 19 feet tall.
In 1987, the 1958 optic had to be replaced to comply with the recommendations of the
International Association of Lighthouse Authorities
The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), previously known as International Association of Lighthouse Authorities, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1957 to collect and provide naut ...
for automation. Optic replacement and automation were completed in March of that year. The station was then converted to
solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...
on 20 September 2000.
The station became unmanned at 1200 hours on 30 April 1987.
The fog signal was discontinued the following day.
See also
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Lighthouses in Ireland
This is a list of lighthouses in Ireland. The Commissioners of Irish Lights are responsible for the majority of marine navigation aids around the island though a small number are maintained by local harbour authorities. The main list identifie ...