Gillick's World: Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way Re-published August 2015 | Page 29

The Power of Mizen Head
Mizen Head, in the County of Cork, is the
most southwesterly point of Ireland, and noted
for its ultra-dramatic views of the Wild Atlantic
crashing against the cliffs. At the very tip of
the peninsula, there is a lookout, as well as a
weather station, a lighthouse and a signal
station that is now a museum.
This is
accessible by 99 steps leading from the
mainland Visitor Centre to the Arched Bridge
that spans some of the wild waves and offers
great photographs.
I was fortunate to meet with Sue Hill who
owns the Heron’s Cove Bed & Breakfast in
Goleen-about 5 km from Mizen Head. As the
Development Officer for Mizen Head, she has
been front and centre in promoting this tourist,
historic, adventure, nature attraction as a
perfect representation of what the Wild
Atlantic Way is all about. Sue arranged for
Stephen O’Sullivan, the Manager and a

former light keeper, to give me a personal tour
of the Visitor Centre, the walkways, the
museum and lookout areas, and I will say that
it was breathtaking!
This was the place where Guglielmo Marconi
set up one of his first telegraph stations, and
this is the ‘teardrop of land’ that was the last
landfall seen by Irish emigrants to North
America. The light of the Fastnet Lighthouse
can be seen for 19 miles. For those sailing
from America to Europe, this was the first
landfall to be seen.
As you wander the sometimes steep trails, it’s
not only the vistas of the sea that mesmerize
but also the wildlife (dolphins, whales, seals,
sharks) and the birdlife (gannets, kittiwakes
and choughs). Displays include life as a light
keeper, shipwrecks, a weather station and the
history of the area.

See also the back cover