Ardnakinna Lighthouse
Ardnakinna lighthouse on the tip of Bere Island facing the Atlantic Ocean a welcome beacon for fishermen as the arrive into the port of Castletownbere. The lighthouse can be viewed from Bere Island but is also clearly visible from Dunboy a beautiful walk in Castletownbere
The beacon to mark the western entrance to Castletownbere was first recommended in 1847 by the Admiralty. It was agreed to build a beacon tower on the west point of Bere Island (Ardnakinna). Construction took place in 1850 and the beacon was left in the care of a local man. The caretaker remained until 1863 when the tower was capped and his services were dispensed with.
In 1901 the Admiralty intimated that Castletownbere was to become a dockyard port and requested that maintenance of the local beacons and buoys be transferred to them. Board of Trade Sanction for the transfer was obtained in 1902.
Following the stranding of a trawler on a rock near Castletownbere in December, 1945 the Berehaven Development Association wrote to the Commissioners requesting that the harbour lights be restored. The Commissioners informed the Association that these lights were set up by the British Admiralty and were discontinued in 1923.
By 1948 Leading Lights at the western entrance of Castletownbere were looked for by mariners using the harbour. Progress was slow and in 1955 a report from Inspector Captain W.J. Kelly recommended a light on Ardnakinna and Leading Lights to mark the channel to the anchorage. These were included in the 1956-57 Estimates but were not sanctioned by the Ministry of Transport. In September 1962 both the Engineer Mr A.D.H. Martin and Inspector Captain W.H. Ball strongly recommended the Commissioners to press for the lights proposed in the 1956-57 Estimates, but the Ministry of Transport still withheld sanction on the grounds that the lights were unlikely to be of benefit to navigation in general. With the 1963 Inspection Committee's recommendation to the Ministry of Transport to reconsider their decision on lighting the western entrance of Castletownbere, approval in principle was given in March, 1964.
Work on converting Ardnakinna beacon into a Lighthouse then went ahead. The existing beacon had been constructed as a lighthouse tower, 50' - 6" (15.4 m) high as far as the balcony, with one intermediate floor so that all that was required was a lantern. An ex-lightvessel lantern was modified and mounted on a concrete blocking. The tower was painted white.
The light source is a 1500w, 100v electric lamp in a Stone Chance 500mm diameter dioptric drum lens with L24 lamps in an LC15 lamp changer, powered from the mains with a standby diesel generator in case of mains failure.
The light was established on 23rd November, 1965 with a character of two white and red flashes every ten seconds (fl 1.0, ec 2.0, fl 1.0, ec 6.0) and is looked after by an Attendant who lives at Castletownbere Helicopter Base, he is also Attendant for Roancarrigmore Lighthouse and Castletownbere Direction Light.
Ardnakinna Lighthouse on Bere Island, a welcome Beacon to Boats
Thank you for choosing one of my photographs. Great care is taken when packaging my photography for shipping. Whether you choose the framed print or print only option the quality will be the same for both.
The print is carefully inspected and rolled in acid-free soft paper to protect it. It is then placed in a strong cardboard tube for safe shipping.
The framed picture: The frame is limed (off-white in colour) and manufactured using a high-quality wooden profile. It comes with a deep mount, enhancing the image. The print is securely attached to the frame and the back is sealed to protect it.
To prepare the frame for shipping, it is firstly carefully wrapped in bubble wrap paying particular attention to the corners. It is then shrink-wrapped before being sandwiched between two pieces of light timber, front and back about half an inch proud of the frame to protect the corners. It is then again bubble wrapped, addressed, and shrink-wrapped again for extra protection.
Once the carrier has collected the picture, you will receive an email informing you it is in transit and it will also include a tracking number so you can track your package.
Thank you, Anne Marie
Once the carrier has collected the picture, you will receive an email informing you it is in transit and it will also include a tracking number so you can track your package.
Recent events around the pandemic may result in delays, especially during peak times. When ordering please allow extra time when placing orders for presents. Unfortunately, delivery times are outside our control. See our terms and conditions for more information.