Light up your day at Hook Lighthouse, 800 years of light keeping. Purpose built as a lighthouse 800 years ago, and still fully operational today, Hook Lighthouse truly is one of a kind!
Visit Loftus Hall and take a tour of this abandoned haunted house with a dark and troubled history.
Take this stunning scenic coastal drive passing by some of the county’s most important historical sites.
The Black-Headed Gull is commonly spotted around the Hook peninsula and indeed all Irish coasts. Familiar as it may be, this small gull is now a Red-Listed species. Numbers are dropping and breeding colonies are more localised, with Wexford and Donegal having the largest coastal colonies. Its name is misleading as it doesn’t really have…
The medieval church built on the site of St Dubhán’s monastery who gave his name to the Irish for the peninsula, Rinn Dubhán. They were also the first keepers of a warning beacon on the peninsula.
A native to these shores (Carcinus maenas) is commonly found on beaches and in rock pools. They aren’t picky eaters and will feast on anything and everything that they come across including seaweed, molluscs and smaller crabs. It is normally a green colour but can sometimes be orange or red. Although a native to Europe…
Many people don’t know that Hook Head has two harbours. Slade habour is the easily recognisable one as it’s still in use and has a man-made structure. The other one is Ba Bheag, located on the estuary side of the peninsula it was used for many years by families from Churchtown because of it’s sheltered…
The humble lugworm, used as bait for generations, is a common sight on sand and mud. Or rather their distinctive casings are since the lugworm itself seldom leaves it’s burrow. The burrow is a U-shaped tunnel that begins at a shallow depression, this is the head end of the lugworm from which the worm ingests…
A common sight on shingle and scrub land near the coast is the Sea Chamomile or Sea Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum). The daisy like flowers of this native can be seen from July to September. When the leaves are crushed they yield a faint, sweet smell similar to their relative Chamomile (or the tea variety). This…
Ever wonder how Dollar Bay got it’s name? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. In the summer of 1765 the ship the ‘Earl of Sandwich’ set sail on a trip from London to Santa Cruz to the Canary Islands before returning home. It was at this last stop that they took on board cargo…
The yellowhammer is much less often seen these days as changes in agricultural practices have lead to it’s decline. The species is currently on the red conservation status in Ireland. This brightly coloured member of the bunting family can be found around arable fields especially this time of year in freshly harvested cereal fields as…
Situated next to the harbour in the village of Slade on the opposite side of the peninsula to the famous Hook Lighthouse, this is a lovely sheltered beach from which to watch the comings and goings from the harbour. Recently a safe swimming zone has been created with the installation of two, yellow buoys. Slade…
A Kestrel hangs poised and focused over the cliffs at Carnivan, waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting and unfortunate prey. A common sight around the coasts this bird of prey can usually be seen hovering in the sky looking for it’s lunch. It mainly eats small mammals but can also be seen eating insects, invertebrates…