#blacksod

Blacksod Lighthouse is at the very end of the Belmullet Peninsula. The unassuming lighthouse guards the entrance to Blacksod Bay which stretches all the way to Belmullet several kilometers away. The shape and size of Blacksod Bay make it an ideal point to set up a port. Not too far away from Blacksod Lighthouse, is a small port where fishing boats and depart. At the time of my visit, there were students being trained by jumping in the water. Maybe it is survival skills or first aid but I don't think I would willingly jump into the cold water.

Blacksod Lighthouse sits at the very end of the Belmullet Peninsula. There is a small port here for fishing boat and even a small beach. What I didn't know what how significant this place was back then. I found out that Blacksod Lighthouse feed weather information to the Allies which led to the postponement of the Normandy landings because of bad weather. This might have very well changed the course of history. Not only that, but Blacksod was also a major departure point of people emigrating from Ireland. There was a great famine at the time in Ireland and people had no choice but to take a chance and leave Ireland for greener pastures, in this case, it would be the United States and Canada.

I drove to the very end of Belmullet Peninsula. The area didn't seem to be very busy. There was a port here and also a lighthouse. Lighthouses are always interesting. This one, Blacksod Lighthouse, is probably one of the stranger lighthouses I have seen in Ireland. For one thing, the lighthouse doesn't look like a light house. One would probably struggle to figure out that it was actually one if you don't see the ocean facing side. The structure of the lighthouse looks a lot more like a house. The lighthouse part of the structure is just a level above the house which houses the lamp. If you approach from the front door, you probably won't even notice it.