Visit Valentia Island Lighthouse at Cromwell Point and tour one of the great lighthouses of Ireland. This magnificent place acts as a guiding light to bring in vessels from the sea and lead them through the entrance of Valentia Harbour.
Come and explore this beautiful place, once a Cromwellian Fort. The outline of the fort with its bastions and barrack can still be easily traced from the air, lying just inside the lighthouse enclosure wall. Work commenced on the lighthouse in 1838 and the light was first exhibited on 1 February 1841.
Marvel at the lighthouse’s balcony and the looming light standing at a mighty 16 metres. Right by the turbulent Atlantic Ocean, the building was originally staffed by a single keeper with his family on site. Since November 1947 the light has been automated.
Come here on a clear day and spot the UNESCO World Heritage Site Skellig Michael and the remote Blasket Islands in the distance.
- Take a tour with a local guide and hear about the lighthouse's former keepers.
- Admire the breathtaking light of this great lighthouse.
- Spot the outline of the former fort with its bastions and barracks.
- See epic Skellig Michael in the distance on a clear day.
A Tetrapod (the first four-legged animal with a backbone) stepped from water onto land at Valentia Island over 300 million years ago. Ask your guide about the fossilised footprints of a dinosaur.
