Hook Head (), historically called Rindowan, is a headland in
County Wexford
County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí C ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, on the east side of the estuary of
The Three Sisters (Rivers
Nore
The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...
,
Suir
The River Suir ( ; ga, an tSiúr or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. and
Barrow). It is part of the
Hook peninsula
The Hook Peninsula is a peninsula in County Wexford, Ireland. It has been a gateway to south-east Ireland for successive waves of newcomers, including the Vikings, Anglo-Normans and the English.
The coastline has a number of beaches. The peninsu ...
and is adjacent to the historic townland of
Loftus Hall
Loftus Hall is a large country house on the Hook peninsula, County Wexford, Ireland. Built on the site of the original Redmond Hall, it is said to have been haunted by the devil and the ghost of a woman.
Loftus Hall has a long history of ow ...
. It is situated on the
R734 road, from
Wexford town
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
.
In Irish its name was originally ''Rinn Dubháin'', Dubhán's point, named for a 5th-century
Brittonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
saint of that name (literally "little black
aired
Air is the name given to the atmosphere of Earth.
Air or AIR may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''Air'' (Maillol), a sculpture by Aristide Maillol
* ''Air'' (painting), a painting by Jan van Kessel the Elder
Films
* ''Air'' ...
one"). The English name is possibly a
calque
In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
of his name, incorrectly read as being ''dubán'', "fishing-hook".
Lighthouse
This area is the location of
Hook Lighthouse
The Hook Lighthouse (; also known as Hook Head Lighthouse) is a building situated on Hook Head at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world and the second oldest operating lighth ...
, the oldest working lighthouse in the world. Access to the lighthouse is by guided tours only which are available all year around. At the foot of the light house there is a cafe, gift shop and a maritime exhibition. The lighthouse is a destination on the
Ireland's Ancient East
Ireland's Ancient East ( ga, Sean-Oirthear na hÉireann) is a destination marketing brand representing the east coast, and parts of the midlands and south coasts, of Ireland. Unlike the Wild Atlantic Way, the region's tourism trail doesn't hav ...
tourist route.
Notable events
In October 2007 it was reported that a significant amount of oil had been found off the coast of Hook head, in the north
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea ; cy, Y Môr Celtaidd ; kw, An Mor Keltek ; br, Ar Mor Keltiek ; french: La mer Celtique is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits includ ...
. An Irish company, Providence Resources had drilled test holes and were said to have discovered good quality oil.
[''RTÉ News'']
"Oil found off Hook Head"
RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Limited, 2009-10-10. Accessed 2009-04-28.
The annual "Hook Conference" antiques festival showcases local and international hooks.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official Hook Lighthouse and visitor center websiteHook Tourism
Headlands of County Wexford
{{Wexford-geo-stub