Fastnet Lighthouse is a 54m high lighthouse situated on the remote Fastnet Rock in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most southerly point of Ireland and lies 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) southwest of Cape Clear Island and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from County Cork on the Irish mainland. The current lighthouse is the second to be built on the rock and is the tallest in Ireland.

The masonry tower is 146 feet (45 m) high, but the focal point of the light is 159 feet (48 m) above high-water mark. The base of the lighthouse is 52 feet (16 m) in diameter with the first course of stone 6 inches (150 mm) below high-water mark, and the first ten of the 89 courses built into the rock.

The Fastnet is known as "Ireland's Teardrop", because it was the last part of Ireland that 19th- century Irish emigrants saw as they sailed to North America. (source: Wikipedia)

Standing 18 km off the mainland coast of West Cork, the Fastnet Lighthouse (in one form or another) has guided navigators through these rough Atlantic waters for centuries. Sadly, for many Irish emigrants, it was the last little piece of Ireland they would ever see. The present lighthouse, completed in 1904, is a marvel of engineering and is a truly impressive sight close up.

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