LIGHTHOUSE ACCOMMODATION isn’t exactly common across Ireland. But thanks to Irish Landmark Trust, you can actually stay in the renovated and refurbished Wicklow Head Lighthouse, the Trust’s first restoration project.
Built in the 1780s, the lighthouse was once one of two towers, explains Irish Landmark CEO Mary O’Brien. The first tower was demolished in the early 1800s when the original 20 tallow candles were found to be fogged in too often to be of use as a lighthouse.
The second tower was preserved in order to maintain the landmark in the area, but in the 1830s the wooden interior of the tower was struck by lightning and burned.
When the Trust took it on in 1996, says O’Brien, “it was an empty void, and accumulated bird droppings reached the height of the second floor.”
Needless to say, the bird droppings have been removed and the integrity of the lighthouse has been restored to make quite a stunning holiday accommodation that has been available since 1997.
The Irish Landmark Trust constructed six octagonal rooms, each on their own floor with stunning views from every window.
“A steel stairway wraps around internally and each room is entered off this stairway,” O’Brien explains. “The arched windows are set into walls which are at least a metre thick.”
Following 109 steps to the top, the progression of rooms as you go up is as follows: lobby and guest cloakroom; double bedroom; bathroom; double bedroom; sitting room, and finally up to the kitchen.
When you aren’t staring off toward the Irish Sea, the seats in the deep windows are great places to relax and read. The Lighthouse’s location puts you within easy driving distance to Glendalough and Wicklow Town, and there is even a bus route to each from the Lighthouse, making it a restful and relaxing spot for a staycation here at home.
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