The smaller of the two main British Isles, the island of Ireland is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland came under English rule in the 16th and 17th centuries and in 1801 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formally established. Following decades of struggle most of Ireland (about 7/8 of the island) became independent in 1922. The northern portion remained in the United Kingdom, forming the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The modern Republic of Ireland (Éire in Irish) includes 26 of the 32 historic counties of the island and has a population of more than 5 million. Some of the historic counties have been divided and there are now 31 county and city units of local government. Ireland is traditionally divided into four provinces: Leinster in the east, Munster in the southwest, Connacht (Connaught) in the west, and Ulster in the north. These regions have no administrative function but they remain convenient divisions of the island. This page covers lighthouses of the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, including Counties Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in Connacht and County Donegal in Ulster. (The rest of the Ulster coast is in Northern Ireland). This is a beautiful coast, often rugged, exposed to the full force of Atlantic storms, and very dangerous to ships. It is guarded by a series of handsome nineteenth century lighthouses, nearly all of them still in service under the maintenance of the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Founded in 1786 by the Irish Parliament, the Commissioners maintain lighthouses in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The Irish language is spoken commonly as a first or second language in Ireland. The Irish phrase for a lighthouse is teach solais (plural tithe solais). Oileán (plural oileáin) is an island, rinn is a cape, abhainn is a river, and cuan is a harbor. A lough (pronounced like the Scottish loch) is a lake or an inlet of the sea. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CIL numbers are from the light list of the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume A of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 114.
|
|
County Galway Lighthouses
|
|
|
|
|
County Mayo Lighthouses
|
|
|
County Sligo Lighthouses
|
County Donegal Lighthouses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Information available on lost lighthouses:
|
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Ireland | South: Southwestern Ireland
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted December 2004. Checked and revised September 30, 2024. Lighthouses: 45. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.