Visitor figures at Loop Head Lighthouse are up almost 5% in 2016.
Clare County Council, which manages the facility in conjunction with the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), says 7,129 people visited the West Clare landmark between April and June compared to 6,806 people during the same period in 2015.
June was the busiest month at the Lighthouse with 3,202 visitors recorded during the period.
The total visitor numbers at Loop Head Lighthouse from March 18 last to July 15 was 9,440. Approximately 22% or 2,072 of these visitors were children.
The nationalities of visitors to Loop Head Lighthouse during the same period were Irish (39%), German (27%), American/Canadian (10%), British (6%), Italy (2%) and other (16%).
Loop Head Lighthouse is a landmark location on the Loop Head Heritage Trail which was named winner of the ‘Culture and Heritage’ category of the 2015 World Responsible Tourism Awards.
It is also one of 12 lighthouses which make up Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a new all-island tourism initiative, and is one of two Signature Discovery Points in County Clare along the route of the Wild Atlantic Way.
An exhibition on the history of Irish Lighthouses is located in the Light Keeper’s Cottage while visitors can take a guided tour to the top of the tower.
Councillor Bill Chambers, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council said the 2016 figures emphasise the popularity of the attraction and how it is “now firmly established as a key driver” of visitors to the Loop Head Peninsula.
Loop Head Lighthouse is open to the public 10.00 am to 6.00 pm daily from April to September
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A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.