Attraction in County Wexford

Hook Head Lighthouse at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford is one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the world, a tower begun in the twelfth century by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, on the site of an earlier monastic beacon established by St Dubhán in the fifth century to warn mariners of the treacherous rocks at the entrance to Waterford Harbour. The light has warned ships of this hazard for nearly a millennium in a continuity of maritime service unmatched by any other lighthouse in the world. The lighthouse tower is one of the most impressive and most historically significant buildings of its kind in existence. The twelfth-century Norman structure, approximately 35 metres high and with walls four metres thick, is the earliest example of a purpose-built lighthouse tower in the world, predating the modern lighthouse tradition by several centuries and demonstrating the sophistication of the medieval understanding of maritime safety. The monks who operated the lighthouse during the medieval period maintained the beacon as an act of Christian charity and maritime responsibility. The headland on which the lighthouse stands is one of the finest and most dramatic on the Wexford coast, the black and white banded tower visible from a wide area of the sea and the views from the headland across the Waterford Estuary to the Waterford coast providing an excellent overview of the geography of one of the most historically important estuaries in Ireland.

The Saltee Islands off the south Wexford coast of Ireland are the most important seabird breeding site in Ireland, two uninhabited islands rising from the sea south of Kilmore Quay whose cliffs and rocky shores support over three million seabirds from over twenty breeding species during the spring and summer season. The combination of the enormous bird numbers, the possibility of close approach on the islands without disturbing nesting birds, and the spectacular marine setting make the Saltees one of the finest seabird watching destinations in Britain and Ireland. Great Saltee, the larger of the two islands, is the principal seabird site, its southern cliffs providing nesting habitat for gannet, puffin, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, shag, fulmar and several other species in concentrations that create one of the most spectacular and most dramatic wildlife spectacles available in Ireland. The puffins in particular, which nest in burrows in the turf of the island slopes and can be observed at very close range during the breeding season, are the most popular attraction for the boat trips from Kilmore Quay that provide the only practical access. Great Saltee was owned by the Prince of the Saltees, Michael Neary, who purchased the island in 1943 and crowned himself its prince in a ceremony whose eccentric charm has become part of the island's folklore. The stone throne on which the self-styled prince sat for his coronation remains on the island and is a popular photographic subject. The autumn migration passage through the Saltees, when large numbers of migrant birds from across Europe pause on the islands during their southward migration, provides a different and equally rewarding wildlife watching experience from the spring seabird season.