An abandoned lighthouse on the largest Aran island off Galway bay is for sale for over half a million euros.
As Times.ie reports today, the lighthouse and ruined buildings command a view of the Atlantic from the island’s highest point.
The site owned by an Aran island resident on about five acres takes its name from and is close to one of Inis Mór’s ring forts, Dún Eochalla.
Dún Eochalla was constructed with an inner stone fort and outer rampart, as one of a series of ring forts on the island – the best known being Dun Aonghasa.
The lighthouse several fields away has been advertised with a guide price of 550,000 euro.
It was constructed from about 1810, using island limestone, and took eight years to build.
The structure rose to 144 metres above sea level, and was visible from counties Galway, Clare, Mayo, Limerick and Kerry
It was decommissioned in 1857, however, as its use as a navigational aid was too limited. There were complaints that its beam could not be seen by shipping in heavy fog.
The residential quarters, now also in ruin, were built for lightkeepers and their families, who used to be stationed at lighthouses from the mid 19th century.
Joe Greaney of Keane Mahony Smith auctioneers in Galway said the property had potential as a “recreation project” for an investor with sufficient funds. It was used for a time as a museum, he said.
Read more at Times.ie here