Youghal, Co. Cork is set to further enhance its number of visitor attractions with the announcement that Youghal Lighthouse will be developed as a visitor amenity, adding to the suite of visitor experiences within the town. Funding of €78,000 for the proposal was granted by The Department of Community & Rural Development to Cork County Council who took ownership of the Lighthouse in 2014. The lighthouse is built on the edge of a cliff adjacent to the N25 and is extremely accessible from a visitor’s perspective.
Works are expected to include the construction of a viewing balcony in front of the lighthouse allowing for panoramic views of the harbour, the creation a ‘courtyard’ around the lighthouse and the inclusion of interpretive storyboards on the site.
The site has a unique history that begins in 1190 when a ‘light tower’ stood on the site of the present tower. The Tower as we know it today was built in 1848. The building itself is a listed building and unique in that it is almost in the centre of a town. It is located in the middle of one of the most popular walkways in the town which connects the town to the beaches of Claycastle, Front Strand and Redbarn Beaches incorporating along the route the hugely popular Youghal Eco Boardwalk.
Welcoming the announcement, Helen Mulcahy, Staff Officer Cork County Council’s East Cork Municipal District said: “Cork County Council is absolutely thrilled with the announcement of €78,000 towards the Youghal Lighthouse Project. The overall objective of the project is to provide visitor accessibility to one of Youghal’s most iconic sites and develop a significant addition to the suite of existing attractions for tourists to the town of Youghal. We feel that there are very exciting times for Youghal ahead. The Clock Gate has been a huge success and projects such as Phase 2 of the Boardwalk and the Midleton to Youghal Greenway are been driven on very strongly by Cork County Council. The lighthouse will be a wonderful amenity for Youghal” concluded Helen.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is an initiative under the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development, Realising our Rural Potential, and is part of a package of national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. The Youghal Lighthouse project was one of 300 of the best national projects selected for funding, and is a collaboration between The Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group (YSEDG) and Cork County Council, with the YSEDG making the proposal and submission to the local authority. This project follows on from the hugely successful undertaken of re-opening the Youghal Clock Gate Tower as a visitor attraction in 2017. Works on the lighthouse project are expected to begin in early 2018 following the completion of an interpretive/development plan for the site.
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Issued by Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group Ltd.
Tel:024-81814 E:[email protected]