Ballycotton Lighthouse

Ballycotton Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse positioned on Ballycotton Island, east of Ballycotton, County Cork, on the south coast of Ireland. The lighthouse is maintained by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as "a significant addition to the historical record and maritime heritage of Ireland".

Distinctively, it is one of only a handful of lighthouses in the world painted black, which was chosen to distinguish it from Capel Island's (unlit) beacon. Capel Island is where the lighthouse was initially to be located, but ultimately a decision was made to build it on Ballycotton Island. It is also one of few examples of lighthouses featuring some of the lower panes made of red glass with the consequence that ships approaching too close to land may be warned by an apparent change of colour.

History
The lighthouse was built in response to a number of sinkings in the area, most notably that of the SS Sirius in January 1847. The cost of the lighthouse was estimated in 1849 to be £10,000.

The lighthouse was designed by George Halpin, and commissioned in 1851 and by 1899 four keepers were housed in the town with keepers rotating duty at the lighthouse. In 1975 the light was converted to electricity, and after introducing automation in 1991 the keepers were withdrawn on March 28, 1992.

Former lighthouse keeper's houses attached to the site are still visible, alongside more recent keepers' accommodation. To the east of the tower, there is a white foghorn which aided in navigation; it replaced a much larger fog bell tower which was originally used for this purpose. The foghorn itself, powered by a 1000V line, was decommissioned in 2011. To the west of the tower there is a small helipad.





Tourism
The lighthouse is reachable by boat from the Ballycotton harbour. Occasional boat tours to the lighthouse were organized as early as 19th century, but were officially open to public only in 2014 and as of 2023 guided tours are available in English and Polish. A small quay on the island itself facilitates disembarking.