Eagle Island lighthouses, Twin lighthouses in County Mayo, Ireland
Eagle Island lighthouses are a pair of towers built on Eagle Island, County Mayo, Ireland, one in the east and one in the west, 121 metres apart. They became operational in September 1835, with lights aligned at 67 m above sea level. Only one tower remains operational today; the other was destroyed by storms and its vestiges are still visible.
Two lighthouses were commissioned in 1830 after the Coastguard raised concerns about sea conditions at Blackrock, and the Board inspector chose Eagle Island over the southern site. Built at a cost of almost £40,000, they became operational in September 1835. The families living on the island were rehoused near Corclough on the mainland at the end of the 19th century, and the station was made automatic on 31 March 1988.
The lighthouses represent the dedication of Irish lighthouse keepers who maintained these structures until 1988, when automated systems replaced manual operations.
Eagle Island lies off the Mullet peninsula near Erris, County Mayo, and is uninhabited since the keepers left in 1988; the remaining light is automatic and run by the Commissioners of Irish Lights. There is no ferry or landing point, and the island sits at the edge of the continental shelf where Atlantic waves hit the cliffs. Approach only by private boat in settled weather.
On January 17, 1836, a powerful storm launched a rock that shattered the lighthouse window 27 meters above sea level.
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