Fastnet Rock

The Fastnet is a small rock about thirteen kilometres south-west of Cape Clear, the most southerly point of Ireland, and the lighthouse on it is generally regarded as the finest piece of rock-lighthouse engineering in these islands. An earlier cast-iron tower proved inadequate; the present one, designed by William Douglass and built between 1896 and 1904, is granite, with every block dovetailed to its neighbours on all sides so the tower acts as a single mass against Atlantic seas that break over most of its height. It was called Ireland's Teardrop because it was the last of Ireland that emigrant ships passed on the way to America. It gives its name to the Fastnet Race, whose 1979 running was struck by a storm in which fifteen people died. It has been automated since 1989. Boat trips circle the rock in season; landing is not available to visitors.

What you actually see

• The granite tower - every block dovetailed, built 1896 to 1904.
• The rock - a small outcrop taking the full Atlantic thirteen kilometres offshore.
• The circling boat trip - the only way to see it, from the water.
• The emigration association - the last land seen on the way west.

When to go

May to September; trips run in settled weather only and cancel readily. Evening sailings are offered from Baltimore and Schull in summer.

Honest expectations

You cannot land - trips circle the rock and return. Sailings cancel frequently for sea state. The crossing is exposed and seasickness is common. Three to four hours round trip.

Nearby

Baltimore and Schull are the departure ports; Cape Clear is on the way out.