Angus Rock Lighthouse

Angus Rock Lighthouse stands on a small island at the entrance to Strangford Lough in County Down. The narrow channel between the Ards peninsula and the mainland forces tidal currents through this point, making navigation tricky. A 13-metre tower painted white with a red top carries the lantern and foghorn. Every five seconds a red flash cuts through the mist to warn vessels away from the rocks. The light has run on solar power since July 2000, needing no fuel or cables. Commissioners of Irish Lights keep it running from their base in Dun Laoghaire. The island itself is little more than a concrete platform, yet it holds a century and a half of service without ever failing its duty. Visitors reach the lighthouse by small boat from Strangford village. From the deck they see the red flash timed to the rhythm of the waves. The view stretches across the lough to the Mourne Mountains on clear days. Seals often surface in the channel, and cormorants perch on the rocks. The silence is broken only by the foghorn when the weather turns.