There are countless breathtaking viewpoints along the Wild Atlantic Way but only one can boast itself as the most southwesterly point of Ireland. Mizen Head is perched at the edge of Co Cork on one of the coastline’s most spectacular headlands.
During the daytime, visitors can walk all the way out to the very tip of the cliffs, where a functioning lighthouse has sat since 1959. The lighthouse, which was originally built as a fog station in 1909, is on Cloghnane Island, the south-westernmost point of the country.
To get there, tourists need to walk across a footbridge that soars right over the crashing waves of the Atlantic. Originally commissioned in 1907, the bridge has long been famous for its dramatic scenery and though its not for the faint of heart, the views are worth the shakey walk over.
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There’s also a lot of history at Mizen Head. In 1908, before the fog station was installed, workmen at the site saved the lives of 63 people when the SS Trada was wrecked below them.
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During the Irish War of Independence in 1920, an armed raid was carried out at the station and nearly all of the explosives on site, which were used for the fog signal, were taken.
In 1931, Mizen Head became home to Ireland’s first radio beacon and was appointed with its first principal keeper. Prior to this, the keeper of the Fastnet Lighthouse was in charge of the station.
The signal station was automated in 1993 and a year later a local community group created the Mizen Tourism Co-operative Society. The society began leasing the path across the bridge and the station and with some funding help, opened the Mizen Head Visitor Centre to the public in 2001.
Today, the center brings in record numbers of visitors and has won awards as a maritime and heritage attraction. The site is usually open year round, with differing hours, and is known as an all-weather experience; but make sure to bring a jacket if you do head there on a windy day.
