Mizen Head

Mizen Head is the southwestern corner of mainland Ireland, where the peninsula ends in shattered sandstone cliffs and a signal station stands on an isolated rock above the water. The station is reached by an arched concrete bridge, built in 1909 to give the keepers a way across the chasm, and the walk out involves ninety-nine steps down and the same number back up. From the platforms you look at cliffs streaked white by bird colonies, at swell breaking over reefs, and out to the Fastnet lighthouse on the horizon in clear weather. Seals use the coves below, and whales sometimes pass offshore in late summer.

History

Ptolemy's Geography, of the 2nd century AD, called the point the "southern headland". Its Irish name, Carn Uí Néid, "cairn of Néid's grandson", refers to Balor, a leader of the Fomorians, whom the god Lugh, in a tale dating from at least the 12th century, chased to Mizen Head and beheaded (Wikipedia, Mizen Head).

What you'll find

• The arched bridge - the concrete span across the chasm to the signal station.
• The signal station - the small buildings and museum on the outer rock.
• The ninety-nine steps - the stepped descent everyone counts on the way back up.
• Fastnet Rock - the offshore lighthouse visible on clear days.

When to go

Roughly March to October for full opening; hours shorten in winter and the site closes entirely in storms. Clear days are what you want, and fog rolls in here without warning. Late summer offers the best odds of seeing whales or dolphins from the platforms. Allow two hours including the walk out and back.

Before you go

There is an entry charge for what is essentially a walkway, a lot of steps and a small museum, and people who arrive after a long drive in fog get very little for it. The climb back up is steep and the wind on the bridge is serious. The last roads are narrow, facilities are limited, and it closes earlier than you expect out of season.

Nearby

Barleycove beach is a few minutes back along the road; Schull is east.

Key facts