Ballycotton lighthouse

This item appears on page 69 of the May 2015 issue.

Completed in 1850 in southwestern Ireland, Ballycotton Island Lighthouse is now open to visitors for the first time. 

Lighthouse tours run by Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours (Ballycotton, Ireland; phone +351 21 4646875, www.balleycottonlighthousetours.com) depart daily at 10 a.m. onward from the Inn By The Harbour, a pub located at the pier in the village of Ballycotton, about 25 miles east of Cork.

Tour members ascend to the 144-foot-high summit of the island as a guide relates local history. Members then may climb to the lantern balcony in the 50-foot lighthouse. 

The tour lasts about one hour plus a 30-minute round trip to the island by boat and is dependent on weather and sea conditions. 20 (near $22) adult, 15 student, 10 child (under 15) or family pass (two adults and three children) 60. Purchase tickets by phone, email or at the inn.