Horn Head (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Corrán Binne'', meaning "Hollow in the Hills") is a peninsula in

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

, North West

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, close to

Dunfanaghy Dunfanaghy () is a small town, former fishing port, and commercial centre on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on Donegal's North West coast, specifically the west side of Sheephaven Bay, on the N56 road (the West Donegal Coas ...

. It forms part of

Sheephaven Bay Sheephaven Bay ( ga, Cuan na gCaorach) is a broad, shallow inlet on the north coast of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Bounded by the peninsulae of Rosguill, to the east and Horn Head ( ga, Corrán Binne) to the west, the bay is relatively p ...

Archeological significance

Horn Head has many remains of

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...

s, court tombs, passage tombs and prehistoric field boundaries.

Natural Heritage Area

Horn Head cliffs rise straight out of the water to a height of about 600 ft/180 m on the ocean side of the peninsula. They are an internationally important colony for breeding seabirds. Species include the

European shag The European shag or common shag (''Gulosus aristotelis'') is a species of cormorant. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Gulosus''. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa, mai ...

and the

razorbill The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis impe ...

. It is designated as an Irish

Natural Heritage Area Natural Heritage Area () is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Ireland. The Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 makes legal provision for the designation and protection of a national network of Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). The de ...

and as a

refuge for fauna Refuge is a place or state of safety. It may also refer to a more specific meaning: Safety * Area of refuge, a location in a building that may be used by occupants in the event of a fire * Bunker, a defensive fortification designed to protect pe ...

specifically seabirds. Horn Head cliffs are also designated a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

and a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

by the Irish government.

McSwyne's Gun

McSwyne's Gun is a blow hole on the west side of the peninsula. Previously, during storms, water could be forced through it to a height of 200–300 feet with a noise that could be heard ten miles away. Although still functional, it is not as spectacular any more. Several people have been killed after getting too close and falling in.

Horn Head House

Horn Head House, or Landlord's House as it is locally known, stands on the Sheephaven Bay side of Horn Head. The Horn Head estate was bought in 1700 by Captain Charles Stewart, a veteran of the Battle of the Boyne, who commissioned William Wray of Ards to build the present house in 1701, when it was the largest house in the Dunfanaghy area. Stewart was appointed

High Sheriff of Donegal The High Sheriff of Donegal was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, from the late 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Irish Free State and replaced by the office of Doneg ...

for 1707–08. It remained the seat of the Stewarts of Horn Head, several of whom were also High Sheriffs, from then until 1935. It has been empty since then.

Lookout towers

Horn Head has remains of two lookout towers, one from

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

times and one from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Both give views of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

Birdlife on Horn Head

Court Tomb at Claggan, Horn Head

Portal Tomb at Claggan, Horn Head

Portal Tomb at Muntermellan, Horn Head

{{Peninsulas of Ireland Peninsulas of County Donegal Headlands of County Donegal Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Special Protection Areas in the Republic of Ireland