Ireland - The Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.

We sat at the restaurant for about half an hour, enjoying the food, wine, conversations flowing around us (love listening to the cadence of the Irish accent) and the warm weather. Not as warm as at home, where we understand there is another heat and humidity wave.

Sitting on the picnic tables outside,

we could take pictures of the jelly fish that are varied and like works of art

and see our boat come in.

We watched the essentials of island life being unloaded; 3 kegs of Guinness

and a bin full of ordered merchandise.

A ruined lookout tower as we left the harbour.

The wind had picked up a little and dark clouds were rolling in.

The wind was up enough that he just needed a reefed main sail to be moving along.

There were only 8 of us who paid the extra to go out to the Rock and we were all snapping  away like crazy.

As we approached and started to circle the rock the loud speakers started a commentary, most of which we had already heard at the heritage centre.

The base of the old lighthouse, on the top, remains, and is used to store fuel. The lighthouse was subsequently built on the Atlantic side of rock because the power and height of the waves is increased by breaking on the rock.

The granite was quarried in Cornwall and assembled there, the blocks numbered, taken apart and sent to Ireland. A boat was built that could handle the weight of the blocks and a cable and pulley system moved them from the boat to the rock.

The supervisor who over saw the placing of every rock, which took 7 years, died the year before it was lit. The scaffolding around the light now is due to the work being done to convert it to LED.

As we left the rock

the sun came out over our boat

ans shone beautifully as we made our way back to Cape Clear Island

We swung back into the Cape Clear harbour to pick up passengers. This little boat had come in.

The Sherkin Island lighthouse

and the Baltimore beacon, greeted us,

as did a seal in the harbour.

Instead of going to the pub overlooking the harbour, part of the hotel, we opted for the small pub. Just a pub, not a restaurant, and full of locals

not a tourist in sight (or sound). The ferry crew men came in for a cup of tea. I didn't have a Guinness, just loved the harp on the tap. We both had an Irish Coffee

I did decide to bring a bottle of the local Irish Whisky home, untested, untasted. We will see what the Scotch drinkers think.