THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.
| Number 8. | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1840. | Volume I. |
THE HOWTH LIGHTHOUSE.
The bold and nearly insulated promontory called the Hill ofHowth, which forms the north-eastern terminus of the Bay ofDublin, would in itself supply abundant materials for a topographicalvolume—and a most interesting work it might bemade. For the geologist, botanist, and naturalist, it has anabundant store of attractions, while its various ancient monumentsof every class and age, from the regal fortress, thesepulchral cairn, and the cromleac of Pagan times, to theearly Christian oratory, the abbey and the baronial hall oflater years, would supply an equally ample stock of materialsfor the antiquary and the historian. With all, or most of thesefeatures, we propose to make our readers somewhat familiarin our future numbers; but our present purpose is only to givesome account of one of its most recently erected structures—thesingularly picturesque and beautiful lighthouse, which wehave attempted to depict in our prefixed illustration.
The Baily lighthouse, as it is popularly called, is situatedat the eastern extremity of Howth, on a nearly perpendicularrock, whose vertex is elevated one hundred and ten feet abovehigh-water mark. This rock, which is nearly insulated, is theterminus of a long and narrow peninsula of still higher altitude,which stretches out into the sea from the eastern end of thepromontory, and whose cliffs are equally precipitous on bothsides, so that the most striking and romantic views of the lighthousecan be had from various points, in some commanding thehorizon-bound sea, and in others the Bay of Dublin, with allits delightful sceneries of wooded country and mountain ranges.The view which we have chosen for our illustration is takenfrom the northern side of this peninsula, that presented fromthe other side having been already published in several popularworks; but we trust that this view will not be deemed lessstriking or picturesque; and we are of opinion that a moreromantic subject of its kind is not to be found in the empire.
The lighthouse is itself an object of great interest andbeauty, and is constructed according to the most approvedmodels of modern times. Its form is that of a frustrated cone,supporting a lantern which exhibits a fixed bright light.The illumination, according to the system now generallyadopted by the Trinity-house, is produced by a set of reflectorsground to the parabolic form, in the foci of which twentylarge oil lamps are placed: an outer gallery, lightly but securelyrailed, surrounds the dome. Connected with the building on itseast side, there is a large room, which opens by folding doorson a platform, and where an excellent telescope is kept, bymeans of which the shoals which obstruct the entrance to thebay may be distinctly observed—namely, the great Kish, andthe Bennet and Burford banks, which are links of the chainextending along the Wicklow and Wexford coasts, and called[Pg 58]the Irish grounds. These, though not visible, are distinctlymarked in stormy weather by the surf, which breaks over themwith uncommon violence, and form a dangerous obstruction tothe approach to the bay.
The Baily lighthouse was erected by the Ballast Board ofDublin in 1814, previous to which time the Howth light, as itwas commonly called, stood on a hill considerably m