Tag: Inisheer sightseeing

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Ireland: 31 Days, 31 Pictures: Day 30- The Plassey Shipwreck

Kate Kelsen

Day 30: The Plassey Shipwreck

I visited the Plassey Shipwreck on my third and final full day on Inisheer. To get to the wreck I chose to hire a bike from the only bike hire shop on the island, run by a very friendly local.

The cargo vessel Plassey was shipwrecked off Inis Oírr in the 1960s, and has since been thrown above high tide mark at Carraig na Finise on the island by strong Atlantic waves. The ship features in the opening credits of the TV Show Father Ted.

A group of local Islanders, the Inisheer Rocket Crew, rescued the entire crew from the stricken vessel using a breeches buoy. The event was captured in a pictorial display at the National Maritime Museum in Dun Láoghaire.

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Ireland: 31 Days, 31 Pictures: Day 29- Grikes

Kate Kelsen

Day 29: Grikes

The terrain of the island of Inisheer is composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as “grikes”, leaving isolated rocks called “clints”.

Quite unsteady under foot, so a good set of walking shoes is needed. Such a quiet, unspoilt spot, with occasional offshore seal spotting!

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Ireland: 31 Days, 31 Pictures: Day 28- The Lighthouse

Kate Kelsen

Day 28: The Lighthouse

Inisheer Lighthouse was completed in 1857 after it was argued that the Inishmore lighthouse was too high and it did not cover the entrances to the North or South Sounds of the Islands.

The lighthouse originally had a fixed optic lamp which was supplied by the Chance Brothers of Birmingham. In 1913, the light was then converted to an incandescent with a paraffin vapour burner with a sequence change from fixed to occulting i.e. 10 seconds of light, 10 seconds of darkness (now called isophase).

The light was once more converted to an automated unwatched electric light with three diesel generator sets and a backup battery in case of complete electric breakdown.

In the background, you can see the spectacular Cliffs of Moher.

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