A conference at which a new five-year plan to harness the global appeal of Ireland’s lighthouses has heard how lighthouse tourism here has already become “a beacon of hope” for remote but beautiful areas of the country.
The all-island strategy for lighthouses is intended to build on the work done since Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI) was formed, the gathering on Valentia Island heard.
Last year the 16 lighthouses open to the public had 384,000 visitors with three-quarters of these spending additional time in the vicinity. More than 4,000 bed nights were generated in lighthouse accommodation.
The chairman of GLI, businessman Bobby Kerr, said the vision for each lighthouse was that it be commercially successful. The strength of GLI as an umbrella organisation, he said, was that it acted like a co-operative for all the island’s lighthouses with buy-in for everyone locally.
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“All the lighthouses are different. Blacksod is different from Hook but the lighthouse is the common ground.”
Also common was the “unique” commitment and energy of those wanting to develop the lighthouse as the centre of business, he said.
GLI worked with BIM, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland as well as with individual county councils to access finance and support along with local historians and historical archives.
Food, activities, transport have all benefited the remote communities where lighthouses are positioned.
Doing up old buildings in inaccessible places had its challenges, but these challenges were not insurmountable, particularly as these were all in stunning locations, he said.
Footfall at three of the largest sites – Fanad, Loop Head and Hook Lighthouses – was estimated to be just under 218,000, the conference heard.
Colum O’Connell of Valentia Island Development company said its lighthouse was the focus of fixing the rural decline which began in 1966 with the closure of the transatlantic cable station. The population has fallen since then from more than 2,000 to 650 on the historic island.
About 20,000 had visited the Valentia lighthouse in 2024 – a 12-fold increase in a few years – and this would not have occurred without the help of the GLI, the conference was told.
“And that is only the beginning,” Mr O’Connell said. The lighthouse project was the spark of a revival which saw the cable station too on the tentative Unesco world heritage list.
The lighthouse had also become a local centre of cultural activity with chamber music and social events, Lucian Horvat, chief executive of the development company, said.
Yvonne Shields O’Connor, chief executive of the Commissioners of Irish Lights, owners of the lighthouses on the island, said lighthouses were held “in great affection” by their communities although none were lived in at present as all 65 were now automated.
Of the 16 lighthouses open to the public, eight have accommodation and a variety of models are in place to manage them.
Plans for a new €5 million state-of-the-art visitor centre, cafe, retail and community centre at Fanad and a €1.6 million investment in Loop Head are set to benefit the local economies.
Ms Shields O’Connor said the focus would be on looking forward in partnership with communities on the ground and State agencies. “Together we will reimagine and create new visitor experiences linked to our working lighthouses around the coast. Together, we will expand the blue economy and protect our heritage for future generations.”
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