It was a bright spring day in March, a rarity for all the rain that had fallen in the previous few weeks. I set off with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons, aged five and almost eight, for a drive to the Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, Ireland. I’ve visited before and looked forward to another couple of hours exploring the site. This is not exactly a museum, but it is a heritage site with historic items in situ.
The lighthouse is situated on Hook Head, a rocky promontory on the Wexford coast facing out into the Irish Sea, the coastline is craggy with dark rocks in place of beaches. It is an exposed area and if the wind is blowing from the south it whips up the waves into foam that is blown across the access road.
The day we visited. it was a little calmer, but still blowing and the incoming tide bashed noisily against the rocky shoreline.
The Hook Lighthouse is a huge black and white painted structure that has dominated the landscape for hundreds of years. It was originally set up by a monk almost one thousand years ago. Its longevity is a testament to its key coastal position on the south-east coast of Ireland.
If you decide to visit you will be fascinated by the enormous metal buoys and huge iron anchors on display around the site. Information boards describe their origin and what they were used for.
Also outside the visitor centre is a medieval wall overlooking the sea and part of the original monk’s site, climb up and walk around the walls and take in the view out over the sea.
This site has been occupied by Vikings and Normans and attractive information boards provide the story of the lighthouse.
A separate building beside the Visitor Centre holds a small museum of coast guard memorabilia and shark and whale jaws are on display.
This is a welcoming space and includes a gift shop, a cafe-restaurant, and a display of the resident artist's work.
Tours are available every day, throughout the day.
The cafe serves cake and a variety of freshly cooked lunches and dinners. On the day we visited, one of the specials was sea-food chowder served with beautiful brown bread. The fish and chips looked very popular. On our visit we saw plenty of visitors in for lunch. There was lots of room in the glass-covered conservatory at the side of the cafe.
If you bring children, as we did. There is plenty for them to explore and do. A wooden pirate ship takes pride of place on the grass in front of Visitor Centre. It is complete with its own plank, for children to jump down from or make their parents walk the plank. Children can research their own pirate names from a handy list on the ship.
We almost missed this, because it is tucked away at the side of the cafe. My son-in-law spotted the open door and had a look inside and saw tables set up for an art class.
My two grandsons quickly set about making a piece of art on slate with a centrepiece of their choice to decorate. The resident artist, Rose, was gorgeous with the children and guided them through the activity. They had a fun half hour and a piece of their own work to take home, ready to hang on the wall.
Rose told us that in summer there is an enclosed garden space for the children to do their art lesson outside. I’m guessing this is a really popular activity for children of any age.
Rose’s own art work is displayed for sale inside the Visitor Centre and around the cafe. She offers art lessons for adults, too.
The gift shop has a range of gifts and souvenirs, with friendly staff on hand to advise on the items on sale. We saw fascinating seaweedy products that I will be investigating further on my next visit.
We had a lovely time at Hook Head. The centre is well used with lots of visitors, super staff and plenty of parking. Visitors will learn about the long history of Hook Head.
The next time I visit, I’ll be sampling the chowder and taking in a guided tour.
For more information here’s the link to their beautiful website https://hookheritage.ie/
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I am a writer and have self-published three historical novels about the Irish Famine with women and girls as the main protagonists.
When I retired from working in Further Education, I had time for travel, research and study. I enrolled on a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and began to write my first novel in 2018.
I am currently completing the fourth novel in the series.
My other hobby includes art. I enjoy visiting art galleries, I also take short courses in art history and attend lessons in drawing and painting.
Social media: X @bridgetw1807
Link to my novels on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UgMgDy