D Irl 24447 Ed; Baltimore Beacon at dawn

The Baltimore Beacon is a white-painted stone beacon positioned high above the channel between the mainland and Sherkin Island near the entrance to the harbour at Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland.

A beacon was built at the order of the British government following the 1798 Rebellion. It is part of a series of lighthouses and beacons dotted around the Irish coast, forming a warning system. The beacon is locally known as "Lot's Wife", after the Biblical woman turned into a pillar of salt.

The beacon is approximately fifty feet (15.2m) high and fifteen feet (4.6m) in diameter at the base.

By February 1849 inspector George Halpin reported that the masonry work of the Beacon was complete but the iron staff and vane still had to be placed on top. The vane was later replaced by a sphere. (Source; Wikipedia)

For sailors, fishermen and tourists the Beacon at Baltimore is an important and somewhat unusual landmark. It is simply painted white. There are some outstanding views in all directions from The Beacon, but to me a session at the Beacon as the sun came up very early on a summer’s day was truly dramatic and memorable.