Sheep's Head Lighthouse is an active 20th century

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

positioned on

Sheep's Head Sheep's Head, also known as Muntervary (), is the headland at the end of the Sheep's Head peninsula situated between Bantry Bay and Dunmanus Bay in County Cork, Ireland. The peninsula is popular with walkers, and the Sheep's Head Way is a ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Construction

The lighthouse was commissioned by

Irish Lights The Commissioners of Irish Lights (), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse au ...

on the request of the Minister of Transport and Power and built in 1968 by J. Dennehy of Castletownbere and James Bradfield of Cork. The lens for the lighthouse, and other parts and materials, had to be transported by a helicopter, totaling in around 250 trips. Power was connected to the lighthouse by ESB over 19 electricity poles, at the same time as the

Mizen Head Mizen Head () is traditionally regarded as the most southerly point of mainland Ireland although Brow Head is the actual southernmost point. It is at the end of the Mizen Peninsula in the district of Carbery in County Cork. Geography Mizen ...

signal station was electrified. The design is similar to

Achillbeg Acaill Bheag (Achillbeg) is a small island in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, just off the southern tip of Achill Island. Etymology Its name means ''Little Achill''. History Acaill Bheag was evacuated in 1965 after being inh ...

lighthouse. It is a high white round tower is situated on a square building, with the light above sea level. It emits three flashes every 15 seconds. There are backup lights and a backup diesel power source. The Sheep's Head lighthouse was originally built to aid in the navigation of the tankers servicing the then-new

Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the Seven Sisters (oil companies), Seven Sisters oil companies. ...

terminal on

Whiddy Island Whiddy Island () is an island near the head of Bantry Bay in Ireland. It is approximately long and wide. The topography comprises gently-rolling glacial till, with relatively fertile soil. As late as 1880 the island had a resident population of ...

, with the first tanker to avail of the aid being the ''Universe Ireland'', then the largest ship in the world, arriving from Kuwait on October 29, 1968. To provide the expected service to large tankers, the light from Mizen Head and Sheep's Head lighthouses had to be sufficiently bright which in 1968 was confirmed to be 51,000 candles in the white section for the latter. According to some sources, the Gulf Oil corporation itself was engaged in arranging the construction of the lighthouse.

Access

The lighthouse is automatic and not staffed. Visitors can view it from the walking route, the "Lighthouse Loop", and climb its stairs.

References

{{reflist Lighthouses in Ireland Lighthouses completed in 1968