Inishtrahull Lighthouse is the northerly most

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 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. Coupled with the lighthouse on Tory Island they form the two main landfall lights for shipping from the Atlantic 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 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, 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 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. Wh ...

was required in the area of Malin Head. 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 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 for automation. Optic replacement and automation were completed in March of that year. The station was then converted to solar power on 20 September 2000. The station became unmanned at 1200 hours on 30 April 1987. The fog signal was discontinued the following day.

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Commissioners of Irish Lights
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1813 Towers completed in 1813 Lighthouses completed in 1864 Lighthouses completed in 1958 Lighthouses in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Donegal Tourist attractions in County Donegal Lighthouses on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage

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