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Inishtrahull

Island
Inishtrahull
Photo: Andreas F. Borchert, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report the wrong picture
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What is recorded here

Inishtrahull is Ireland's most northerly island, off Malin Head in County Donegal. Irish Lights says its first lighthouse was built at the island's east end in 1812 because British Navy ships were using Lough Foyle. Donegal's tourism office says the island is generally inaccessible to the public and is protected for its natural and historical importance. The island and lighthouse belong to the Commissioners of Irish Lights; this map point is not a public landing place.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w4558676

Sources for this account: Irish Lights’ Inishtrahull history and Go Visit Donegal’s island access guide.

Places near here

Photo credits
  • National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  • Dr Neil Clifton, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • David Dixon, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • David Dixon, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Dr Neil Clifton, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • N Chadwick, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • N Chadwick, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Inishtrahull Lighthouse (old)Lighthouse, lighthouse keeper's house · 409 yd

Explorer Tom Inishtrahull’s old lighthouse remains are now out of use, with the lantern removed in 1959 when a new one was built nearby on the island.

Inishtrahull LighthouseLighthouse keeper's house · 618 yd

Explorer Tom Inishtrahull Lighthouse used to relay information by semaphore, which is basically waving arms really fast to say 'boat here!'. I bet the keepers got terrible cramps from all that frantic flapping in the wind.

Wee House of Malin CaveCave · 5.5 mi

Explorer Tom Wee House of Malin Cave is measured at only 2.75 metres deep, yet the local saying gives it room for everything that goes in. That is one ambitious little house. The recorded cave sits beside Malin Well and the old church; I would let the story stretch the walls while leaving the real rock alone.

Explorer Tom approvedSeaview TavernRestaurant · 5.9 mi

Explorer Tom At Seaview Tavern, the seafood is the star: crab, oysters and fish of all kinds up at Malin Head. Tom's only problem is choosing what to eat first. He may have to come back for round two.

Eire 80 signSecond World War neutrality sign · 6.4 mi

Explorer Tom EIRE 80 sign was written for eyes in the sky, not for someone standing beside it. The stones told wartime pilots they were over neutral Ireland, and 80 named Malin Head's lookout post. I would take the ground view slowly; this lettering had a much larger audience than most signs.

Wild Atlantic Way:Malin HeadVisitor information · 6.5 mi

Explorer Tom Malin Head is the most northerly point on the Wild Atlantic Way route, making this visitor information spot a true geographical milestone.

Malin TowerSignal tower · 6.5 mi

Explorer Tom Behold Malin Tower, a square-plan structure that has served as everything from a signal station to a radio hub! It stands proudly on a rocky outcrop near Malin Head, offering some absolutely unobstructed views of the Atlantic.

Malin HeadHeritage attraction · 6.5 mi

Explorer Tom Malin Head was known to Ptolemy in the second century as Boreion. That is a remarkably long time for a headland to keep its own name before anyone else noticed it.

White StrandGuesthouse · 6.8 mi

Explorer Tom White Strand is probably white because it hasn't been cleaned since 1954. The guesthouse beds are likely made with feathers that belong to very angry geese. Fluff them up!

Hell's Hole Cavern, Malin HeadSea cavern and cliff chasm · 7.1 mi

Explorer Tom Hell's Hole Cavern, Malin Head is a long, narrow chasm that sounds like a drum kit being dropped off a cliff. The Atlantic tide rushes in with such a thunderous roar you can hear the water before you see it.

SkildrenbegIslet · 7.3 mi

Explorer Tom Skildrenbeg has caught my eye in County Donegal. I bet a islet with a name like that could keep me talking all afternoon; I'm already inventing a daft little scene for it, and I'll stop before it turns into history.

SkildrenmoreIslet · 7.4 mi

Explorer Tom Skildrenmore sits quietly four kilometers west-northwest of Ballygorman, a small islet near the wild Malin Head area.

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