Loop Head Lighthouse: The edge of Ireland

There has been a lighthouse at Loop Head since 1670, originally a signal fire on the roof of a single-storey cottage (which can still be seen on the grounds), where the lightkeeper lived.

The present tower, which stands 23 metres high, was built in 1854. The range of the light is 23 nautical miles and its ‘character’ is a white light flashing four times in 20 seconds. The operation was converted to electricity in 1871, and automated in 1991.

Loop Head (Irish: Ceann Léime, meaning "leap head") is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland.

Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is Kerry Head. The Shannon Foynes Port Company controls navigation in the Shannon estuary and river.

Loop Head peninsula, has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Shannon Estuary on the other, with barely a mile of land saving it from island status.