Hook Lighthouse

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About Hook Lighthouse

The Hook Head lighthouse stands on the tip of the Hook peninsula, in the southwest of County Wexford, at the entrance to the estuary that leads to Waterford. The stone tower was built in the early 13th century by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, to guide ships to the port of New Ross, and is considered one of the oldest lighthouses in the world still in operation.

Before the tower, according to tradition, monks from a monastery founded by São Dubhán in the 5th century kept a fire on the headland to warn mariners. The medieval tower is about 36 metres high, with walls up to 4 metres thick and three vaulted floors inside, where the monks who tended the light lived. The top lantern was added in the 19th century, and since 1996 the lighthouse has operated automatically.

The visit is guided and climbs the 115-step staircase inside the walls, passing the vaulted rooms, up to the balcony beside the lantern. From there you can see the Celtic Sea, the coast of Waterford and the rocks of the headland, where fossils some 350 million years old are visible.

In the former keepers' houses are the visitor centre, with an exhibition, café and shop. Around them, the flat limestone rocks of the headland are good for walking, taking care when the sea is rough. On some winter days it is possible to see whales and dolphins offshore, but this is not guaranteed.