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| St. Johns Donegal |
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| Inside a lantern |
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| John Eagle on the balcony of The Baily |
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| Baily lantern |
| Meet those who worked at the lighthouses |
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| The Baily |
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| Chaine Tower |
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| St. Johns Down |
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| Ardglass |
| Seeing the lens flash out the bedroom window at Blackhead was wonderful. The buildings are so well cared for. Self catering with new friends is another highlight of the trip Nancy Ohlson |
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| South Rock |
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| Altacarry |
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| Stairwell |
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| Rathlin West |
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| See pictures taken on the 2012 tour |
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Northern Irish Lighthouse Coastal Island Tour of Ireland 2019
Inishmore, Tory, Blacksod, Eagle Island, Broadhaven, Ballyglass,
Arranmore, The Baily, Blackhead, Rathlin Island, St. Johns Donegal, St.
Johns Down
August 24 to September 1st 2019 taking bookings now
Extra day added now starting August 24th
5 places taken, only a few left
Due to small numbers allowed at the lighthouses please make your booking early.
Those who book late may have to sleep in a nearby B&B. When several
people wanting single rooms book on the tour the lighthouses get booked
out faster. If you are single and are happy to share with someone please
let me know
'I returned home, after experiencing the
Northern Irish Lighthouse Tour. What an amazing adventure. Seeing up to
28 or more lights, (I’ll have to look at my photos to confirm). Spending
a few nights at a couple of those lights we saw (Fanad and Blackhead).
Meeting new friends, and of course viewing all of the wonderful scenery
of Ireland. I you are a Lighthouse fanatic, this is the tour for you.
And there is a tour of the Southern Lights too. I am already making my
plans for that one' Brendan Odom 2018 tour
Follow the Wild Atlantic Way north and stay in 2 lighthouses
Northern tour
See the lighthouses, stay on an island, bring your
camera, bring your drone, bring your sketch pad, have a grand time
Only a few places left for this popular tour
We stay in great accommodation, like Fortfield
Farm B&B, Bru Chlann Lir, Fanad Head lighthouse, The Railway Lodge,
Donegal, Blackhead Lighthouse. We visit the Reel Inn with great live
traditional Irish music and dancing. Side attractions include going to
Downpatrick cliffs and visit the Ceide Fields neolithic site
We hope to do a day trip to Tory depending on the
weather (above)
and spend 2 nights at Fanad Head lighthouse
Altacarry below
You will also see Blackhead up
close from the keeper's cottage where we stay
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Blackhead, Antrim
Spend two nights here |
The Baily, Dublin
Go on guided tour |
Metal Man Sligo
Keep him company! |
Blacksod in Mayo
The only square Irish lighthouse |
This year going to stay at Fanad lighthouse for two nights
A 8 day tour for only €1795
pp which includes bus, driver, myself, all boat trips, accommodation &
breakfast except at Blackhead lighthouse which is self catering. You
will land on Inishmore,
Tory Island and Arranmore,
see Straw Island,
Eagle Island,
Blacksod, Broadhaven,
Blackrock Sligo,
The Metal Man, Oyster Island, St. Johns
Donegal, Rotten Island. You will also spend a night on
Tory and Rathlin Island, as well as spend 2 nights at
Blackhead lighthouse. On top of this you
get to visit Fanad,
Rathlin West (or see it from below) and The Baily. You will also see
Donaghadee, Ardglass, St. Johns Down,
and several more in the distance
including Inisheer and
Maidens
With the Euro being so weak my tour costs remain great value
Birds you are likely to see during the tour: Storm Petrel, Blackheaded Gull, Gannet, Kittiwake, Aortic Tern, Black Guillemot, Guillemot, Gulls, Fulmar, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Greater Black-backed Gull.
We will almost certainly see dolphins, (they are often to be seen at Doolin where we get the Aran Island boat) porpoises and seals at Rathlin Island, maybe basking sharks
off Tory
We stay first night at Fortfield B&B . We will be picking up in the Limerick, Ennis and Shannon areas so if you would like us to pick you up in these areas we can then take you to Fortfield. Fortfield is in a lovely location on the Shannon Estuary. We have stayed there many times and always made to feel really comfortable
Itinerary is as follows
We meet up on the evening of August 24th, starting the tour first
thing August 25
August 25th Day 1: We go for a cruise from Doolin through the Aran Islands passing Inisheer which has a lighthouse
we will not be landing on the island on this tour, we do that on the Southern Tour in June, however we will be landing on Inishmore
The old lighthouse at Inishmore with Napoleonic signal tower beside it
We will also see Straw Island lighthouse and after landing on Inishmore where a minibus awaits us for a drive round the island. We will go to the far end of the island to view
Eeragh and walk up the hill to see the old lighthouse of Inishmore. There is an optional visit to the ancient semi circular fort at Dun Aengus
Straw Island |
Inishmore |
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| Eeragh |
The cliffs at Dun Aengus on Inishmore |
After
a high speed ride in a catamaran to Rossaveal we go to
Westport for supper, then to a local B&B for the night. Westport
is a lovely town to stay in, with great shops
Day 2 August 26th:
After breakfast we head north following the Wild Atlantic Way
round the north side of Clew Bay to Achill the largest island in
Ireland for a spectacular drive looking across to Clare Island and
the lighthouse there perched atop the cliffs. Then north to
Blacksod for the night. We spend the night at Josephine Geraghty's
superb B&B Brú Chlann Lir near Blacksod. I love staying
there.There are 3 lighthouses for us to view, although I hasten to
add Eagle Island has been squashed down and resembles a castle. A
pity I feel. A 4th lighthouse, Blackrock, can be seen at a
distance way off the coast, but you will catch the light from the
back of Bru Chlann Lir. See the lighthouses at the end of the day
we will catch them lighting up
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Blacksod
Watch my
video |
Broadhaven
Watch my
video |
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Eagle Island |
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| Eagle Island |
Blackrock |
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Blackrock is 9 miles off the coast, you won't get the view I
took above, but you will catch the light
Day 3:
August 27th
We wake on the Belmullet Peninsula and after breakfast head
north to Donegal town via Sligo to see the Metal Man and Oyster
Island. Eagle Island and Broadhaven lighthouses are on our
viewing list and you will catch the distant light of Blackrock.
We then make our way to Downpatrick Head which is a beautiful
location ten minutes from Ceide Fields. There's time for a good
look, but mind the cliffs.
Watch my
video
At Rosses
Point near Sligo you will see The Metal Man and Oyster Island
below
Watch my
video of The Metal Man and Oyster Island
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| The Metal Man |
Oyster Island |
We take the road west, to visit St. John's Point lighthouse,
Slieve League the highest cliffs in Europe, and see Rotten Island
lighthouse. We will pass through the town of Killybegs which is
one of the biggest fishing ports in Ireland |
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St. Johns
Watch my
video |
Rotten Island
At the entrance to Killybegs, a major Irish fishing port |
The Slieve League, Ireland's highest cliffs with Rathlin O'Birne
lighthouse in the distance
We spend the night at The Railway Lodge in Donegal town, a short walk from the Real Inn
one of the best live Irish music pubs in Ireland
We take the road
to Burtonport for the ferry to Arranmore Island to see the
lighthouse then go to Fanad for the first of two nights there
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Arranmore
Out on the cliffs at the very edge of Ireland
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Fanad lighthouse
Fanad lighthouse, one of the major lighthouses on the northern coast, very impressive and not to be missed.
We spend 2 nights here in 2019
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Day 5:
August 29th
We wake up at Fanad lighthouse |
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Tory Island
Watch my
video of Tory |
Tory Island showing lighthouse and away to the east end |
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Our driver needs a day off from driving, which is the rules
of driving he must adhere to. So we will go with a local
driver to catch the ferry over to Tory.
We spend our second night in the far north of Ireland at Fanad Head
lighthouse
Day 6:
August 30th
We go with Aquaholics for a fabulous boat trip round Rathlin
Island. This is weather permitting. If we cannot go round then
we will land and go to Rathlin West for a tour. Transport on the
island isn't great. There is a bus out to Rathlin West but not
to the other two lighthouses, just a very long walk.
The Aquaholics boat trip enables us to see all three lighthouse
and get great photographs. This is a really skilled company
specialising in boating and diving, and have been hired to help
with the filming of Game of Thrones. Their catamaran is very
stable even in rough conditions. I am very impressed with them
Rathlin West, the famous upside down lighthouse
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| Rathlin West, lantern at the
tower base |
Bedroom of a keeper at
Rathlin West |
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| The western shore of
Rathlin Island near the lighthouse |
Altacarry, the Eastern lighthouse on
Rathlin Island |
watch
a video of Rathlin East lighthouse
After the boat trip we return to Ballycastle and go to
Blackhead lighthouse for the first of two nights we take the ferry back to Ballycastle, and drive
to Blackhead north east of Belfast for the first of two nights at
the cliff top lighthouse
Blackhead lantern
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| Chaine Tower |
Chaine Tower with Ferris Point in distance |
Close by are the lighthouses of Chaine Tower and Ferris Point
We spend the first of two nights at Blackhead lighthouse
Watch
my video of Blackhead |
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Blackhead
Day :
August 31st
We take a tour of County Down, Donaghadee lighthouse is first then there is Ardglass where we will stop for a bite to eat on the pier close to the harbour light. Then we will be calling in to visit St Johns Point lighthouse, the only yellow and black lighthouse in Ireland. Watch out for lots of small lighthouses along the way before and after St. Johns. There is a ferry crossing at Strangford passing a water turbine
Donaghadee.
See more about the lighthouse
Watch video
of Donaghadee lighthouse and harbour
Strangford Lough water turbine machine |
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| Mountains of Mourne |
Ardglass |
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St. John's Point
The only yellow and black lighthouse on the Irish coast
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After our tour of County Down we return to Blackhead lighthouse for our second night there
Watch my
video of St. John's Point |
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| The Baily and the lantern |
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Day 8:
September 1st: After breakfast we head south to Howth for a two
hour tour of the The Baily. We will then take you to the Dart
Startion (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) station in Howth so you can
go into Dublin and make your ongoing connections. Alas it's time to go our separate ways and we hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Northern lights of Ireland |
Tour price is €1795
Price includes visits to all lighthouses, places to stay with breakfast, boat trips, bus and driver
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What's included
Tour price includes all lighthouse entry fees, all accommodations (top
quality B&Bs and 2 nights at Blackhead lighthouse), all
breakfasts except the two spent at Blackhead lighthouse which is
self catering, all transportation costs and your guide, author and photographer John Eagle. Highlights of the tour will include boat trips, lighthouses
to view inside and meeting people who have worked and continue to work for Irish Lights. The tour is limited to 8 people due to beds available at Blackhead Keeper's Cottage. Please advise if you are prepared to share or would prefer a single room. Unlike other countries WiFi is for the most part free in Ireland, or comes free with your accommodation.
There is a great restaurant at the local golf club near
Blackhead lighthouse, fabulous
food for reasonable fee. Also great fish and chips in nearby
Whiehead
What's not included
Evening meals and lunches are not included. I have considered including all meals, but realise that some people like to go off and do their own thing in the evenings. I also feel that set meals for people tend to be of lower quality. I will do my best to take you to places that offer the best value for the money.
Insurance
I have my own Public Liability Insurance (with LeisureInsure Certificate) It covers me for showing people around lighthouses and out on location for workshops in Ireland. Tour participants should consider their own travel insurance covering any unexpected medical needs, and travel expenses.
I have taken a course in
cardiac arrest rescue and know how to assist someone in need of
help |
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Special Notes
Cancellations and Refunds
A 75% refund will be given up to 3 months ahead of the start date of the tour, ie 25% will be kept to cover administration costs and fees incurred by banks and PayPal.
I make reservations, numerous phone calls and emails with my hotels and ferry operators. I need to know 3 months in advance what I am doing. In the final 3 months leading up to the start date of the tour I will keep all monies paid for the tour
I will do my level best to help you plan your trip, with staying in places beforehand and afterwards
May I suggest Bunratty Mews B&B as a fine place
to stay in Bunratty
Photographing lighthouses takes us to challenging locations, including cliffs and rough seas. For this reason I strongly suggest taking out travel insurance to cover unexpected medical needs during the tour, as accidents can happen. I will always advise you when conditions are dangerous, and when extra care is required. I have photographed all the lighthouses many times over and know the dangerous places to avoid. When on the water waterproofs are advisable, as well as non slip footwear. Cliffs might look tempting for dramatic shots, but a gust of wind could spell danger. You need to be alert at all times. Boat trips are weather permitting. I will do my level best to get you out on the water but in some cases the seas might be too rough. I will never put you in any kind of danger, and will always judge a scene before allowing you into it for your and my own safety
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| 2019 tour deposit |
€300 deposit to secure your place
on the Northern Irish Lighthouse tour 2019 |
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| Also see the Southern Extreme Irish Lighthouse Tour |
| The Lighthouse Digest Calendar |
The United States Lighthouse Society |
| Association of Lighthouse Keepers |
| All photographs © John Eagle Photography |
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