Photos

View on Haulbowline lighthouse from Greencastle, on south coast of county Down. This sea light serves to guide vessels from seaward through the entrance channel into Carlingford Lough, which separates county Down (Northern Ireland) from county Louth (Republic of Ireland). The lighthouse is built on a wave-washed rock exposed only at low tide. Its overall height is 34 metres. The main light is 32 metres above high water. It was built after a request made in 1817 by the merchants of Newry to replace the 1803 Cranfield Point Lighthouse due to the latter's poor position in marking the dangerous rocks at the entrance to Carlingford Lough. The lighthouse was completed in 1823. Building this tower on a semi-submerged rock with fast currents running around it was a remarkable achievement at the time. A fixed white light was exhibited on 1 september 1824. The tower was painted white and remained so until 1946 when it was changed to its natural stone colour. The light was converted to electric and made unwatched automatic on 17 March 1965. It had the distinction of being the first Irish major offshore lighthouse to be made completely automatic and remotely monitored and controlled from the shore. The light sends 3 white flashes every 10 secondes and is also exhibited by foggy day. Its normal range is 17 nautical miles (about 30 kilometres).