Ballycotton Sea Adventures

Name: Ballycotton Sea Adventures
Address: Ballycotton, Cork, IE
Telephone: +353873963998
Price range: ££
Rating: 4.8

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Ballycotton Sea Adventures

Secure your place, call 087 396 3998 (9am - 5pm)

Adult: €27 Child (under 12): €16 and Family €80
(130)

Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours is only 45 minutes from Cork city by car and promises to transport you on an exclusive 90-minute historical natural visitor experience. Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours is a local initiative 'not-for-profit' business supported by SECAD, Ballymaloe Relish, Cronin Millar Engineering and in cooperation with the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Any profit generated

will go back into improving and developing the project - hopefully adding to Ballycotton as a tourist attraction and potentially creating local employment. One long term idea is to possibly create a small heritage centre in one of the old limestone Lighthouse Keepers houses. The Ballycotton Lighthouse lantern was first lit in 1851 and 141 years later the last lighthouse keeper was taken off the island due to the automation of the light. Now, for the first time ever, you can step onto the wild, natural and unspoiled lighthouse island. You can delight in the same incredible views from the lantern balcony that previously only resident lighthouse keepers have admired. Your local guide will meet you at the ticket office at The Inn by the Harbour. You will enjoy a short open topped boat trip and be escorted on a brisk walk to the island summit and into the lighthouse. Your guide will delight you with historic tales and information on wildlife whilst you are surrounded by stunning views and fresh Ballycotton sea air. Brief History: The Ballycotton Lighthouse
Sanction to build Ballycotton Lighthouse was obtained from Trinity House in March 1848. The lighthouse was commissioned and building was completed in 1850. The lantern lit on 1st June 1851 and at this time the Lighthouse keeper and his family lived on the island. In 1892 to prevent any confusion with the beacon on Capel Island , a broad black band was painted around the middle of the tower and in 1902, the whole of the tower was painted black (only one of two black lighthouses in Ireland). In 1975, the light was converted to electricity and in 1977 the lighthouse was modernised and a helicopter pad built next to the lighthouse. On 28th March 1992 the light was automated and the lighthouse keepers withdrawn. Ballycotton
A famous seaside and fishing village set on a rocky ledge overlooking Ballycotton Bay in East Cork. Breathtaking scenery, an abundance of peace and fresh air as well as great local food and hospitality. Visit www.ballycotton.ie for more information on the area and where to stay when visiting Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours.

16/08/2024

08/08/2024

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/08/07/black-ballycotton-lighthouse-reveals-its-long-held-mystery-to-island-visitors/?sfnsn=wa

Once regarded as one of the tougher postings, its closeness to the village meant keepers ‘might see their girl going for a whirl with someone else’

04/08/2024

No plans for long weekend?
A few spaces available on the boat which takes you to amazing Ballycotton lighthouse .
Book your seat now at
Ballycottonseaadventures.com

29/07/2024

Summer has finally arrived in Ireland, and we have opened up more bookings for this Wednesday. Join us for a chance to see the stunning Ballycotton lighthouse. Book your seat today on our website, Ballycottonseaadventures.com.

20/07/2024

We are delighted to announce that Ballycotton Lighthouse tours have started again for the 2024 season!

The tours will be running four days a week from Thursday until Sunday.
If there are special requests we will do our best to organise the tours on a different day to better suit your group, just call us at 087 396 3998.

We look forward to welcoming you on the island!
You can book tours on our website

We will take you on a really amazing trip to the Ballycotton lighthouse. Your adventure will begin with a short boat trip across the bay to the stunning island of Ballycotton, home to a lighthouse with a unique black tower.

04/06/2024

We plan to start trips to Ballycotton Lighthouse in mid-June.
Until your visit, you can view photos taken during the event at Sea Church on May 12, 2024 "Stories from a lighthouse keeper"

We would like to thank you Mervyn Daly, a local photographer for his professional support during the event and beautiful pictures.

14/05/2024

Thank you to everyone who was with us on Sunday evening at Sea Church for a presentation about lighthouses 🫶
It was amazing, and interesting, but also inspiring and encouraging to visit Ballycotton island, as well as other lighthouses in Ireland.
Thank you very much to Gerald and Maria for visiting Ballycotton and sharing their knowledge with us. 💙
Thank you Eddie and the band for the fantastic music; we could have stayed there all night….🎼🎼🎼
Thank you all for your support for Children in Gaza, you were very generous, and 1,250 euro was collected.💰💰💰
All of this money has been already donated to UNICEF organization!
Thank you to Sea Church for the venue.
Attached is just small sample of this fantastic evening.

12/05/2024

IT IS TODAY! 8 pm in Sea Church
The amazing evening with Gerald Butler and his fantastic lighthouse stories!

28/02/2024

Skipper wanted!!!

Ballycotton Sea Adventures is looking for a full-time skipper from 1st April to 15th October 2024 to work In Ballycotton pier ( East Cork)
If you have a P3 license to drive a motorboat and have at least 3 years of experience in transporting people, send us your CV to [email protected] or text us at 087 396 3998

25/02/2024

Happy Birthday Peter!!!🥳💐

Who can guess how old Peter is?
He still looks like 18 th :-)

When the lighthouse happens to be on an island offshore well one thing you absolutely need is really good experienced skippers.

Ballycotton Sea Adventures are lucky to have a few on our team including local man Peter Manning.

Peter is a modest multi talented fellow. He has been a farmer, a fisherman, ran angling tours on his boat Cleona off Ballycotton for many years. He is involved with Cloyne Mens Shed and he is an excellent woodturner.

Peter is familiar with the bay and the island and has a huge appreciation for the area and the lighthouse. So when you book your guided tour this season and head out from the pier with your guide on our boat Yassy you may well have Peter as your skipper so remember to say hello.

All the best Peter❤️

04/02/2024

Question:❓ What is black and white, has 28 legs and has the best view on the Cork coast?
Answer:👉Of Course, it’s our beautiful herd of Ballycotton Lighthouse goats!
Goats have been an important part of life on Ballycotton’s large Island since the first lighthouse keepers landed there in the mid nineteenth century. The goats were an essential source of milk and meat for the keepers and their families. For a brief period from 2005 to 2017 the island lost its happy herd. The lighthouse attendants really missed seeing their four-legged friends when they arrived to check on the lighthouse. Peter, a local skipper who serviced the island with his boat, became aware of the need for a herd to occupy the island again. He traveled all the way to Kilrush, Co Clare where two “wayward” goats needed to be rehomed. These two rascals became the original girls of the herd that lives on the island presently. The new arrivals settled quickly into island life. Peter collected two more beautiful goats from Mitchelstown, County Cork.
One gentleman goat joined the herd and as a result three little ones were born. To avoid over crowding the daddy goat needed to bid farewell to his lady friends. The five black and two white ladies now reside contently together. We enjoy looking for them when we arrive with our tour groups. The goats are inquisitive and many times come to find out what we are doing on “their“ island.
We hope you’ll join us during our 2024 season to learn more about the history of Ballycotton Lighthouse, and of course, to meet our resident goat family.

02/02/2024

2025 – Ballycotton Lighthouse Museum and Visitor Center……Why not?
Let it be true 🤞

29/12/2023

16/12/2023

🎄Christmas Gift Ideas🎄
Are you still wondering what to buy as a Christmas gift🎁 for the people you love?
Perhaps a voucher to Ballycotton Lighthouse would be the perfect solution? Or a voucher for family fishing🐟 or deep sea fishing🐳?
It's not too late, you can buy it online today and take advantage of it from May to September, when we organize trips. We are closed in winter due to weather conditions.
Just Visit our website and choose the option Gift Card you can decide what would the value of the voucher to be used in Ballycotton
https://ballycottonseaadventures.com/book-now/
If you have any questions plase call us at +353 87 3963998

Explore the world of Ballycotton Sea Adventures from this weblink. You can book your trip to Ballycotton from this link and also get to know the availability for your booking.

11/10/2023

⛰Ballycotton Lighthouse is one of the lighthouses associated with the Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI), a joint tourism initiative developed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Irish Lights)
Each year, representatives from all lighthouses meet to discuss strategy and plan activities to develop, protect and share the rich maritime heritage and culture associated with lighthouses and coastal communities. This year we met at Belfast, Ballycastle, we also visited Rathlin West & East and Blackhead Lighthouses. All the places are stunning, and local communities together with Irish Heritage Companies are working to make them accessible and even more attractive for visitors.
❤️We love our Lighthouse in Ballycotton and would like to make it more interesting for visitors, so perhaps you could share with us what else you would like to have/ see/ experience in Ballycotton?
Any ideas are welcome, you can leave them in the comments under the post or contact us by email at [email protected]

29/09/2023

Season Extended:
The weather has not been favorable for trips recently, strong wind made it impossible to dock the boat on the island, so we decided to extend the season until October 15.
The booking system is now open for Friday-Saturday-Sunday ( 12 pm and 1:30 pm), so you have the last chance to book your ticket and visit the unique black lighthouse with the best local guides who will take you on an amazing journey starting from 1847...
You can book your ticket on our website:
ballycottonseaadventures.com

Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather in October

08/09/2023

Maybe fishing on Saturday?
A few seats still avaliable from 11 am till 2 pm. or from 4pm till 7 pm
For only 35 euro per person, You can catch your own dinner..

Address

Ballycotton
Cork

Opening Hours

Monday

9:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+353873963998

Website

http://www.ballycottonseaadventures.com/

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Videos

Dear customers, Unfortunately, due to dredging works at Ballycotton Pier, we are forced to cancel all tours to Ballycotton Lighthouse after August 18th. We have opened more bookings for this weekend, so it is the last opportunity to visit this absolutely unique place. #Ballycotton #RingofCork #Seaadventures #ballycotton #greatlighthousesofireland #irishlights #eastcork #seaactivities #corkireland #corkcountycouncil #lighthouses #lighthousekeepers

Visit Ballycotton Lighthouse

Thank you to everyone who was with us on Sunday evening at Sea Church for a presentation about lighthouses 🫶 It was amazing, and interesting, but also inspiring and encouraging to visit Ballycotton island, as well as other lighthouses in Ireland. Thank you very much to Gerald and Maria for visiting Ballycotton and sharing their knowledge with us. 💙 Thank you Eddie and the band for the fantastic music; we could have stayed there all night….🎼🎼🎼 Thank you all for your support for Children in Gaza, you were very generous, and 1,250 euro was collected.💰💰💰 All of this money has been already donated to UNICEF organization! Thank you to Sea Church for the venue. Attached is just small sample of this fantastic evening. #Ballycotton #RingofCork #Seaadventures #ballycotton #greatlighthousesofireland #irishlights #eastcork #seaactivities #corkireland #corkcountycouncil #lighthouses #lighthousekeepers

💥Happy New Year 2024💥 to our lovely customers, lighthouses’ lovers and all business partners. 🙏Thank you for visiting Ballycotton Lighthouse 🎴last year, serving you has been a pleasure❤️, and we hope you will visit us again in the New Year. Happy New Year🥳 #Ballycotton #RingofCork #Seaadventures #ballycotton #greatlighthousesofireland #irishlights #eastcork #seaactivities #corkireland #corkcountycouncil #lighthouses #lighthousekeepers

Season Extended: The weather has not been favorable for trips recently, strong wind made it impossible to dock the boat on the island, so we decided to extend the season until October 15. The booking system is now open for Friday-Saturday-Sunday ( 12 pm and 1:30 pm), so you have the last chance to book your ticket and visit the unique black lighthouse with the best local guides who will take you on an amazing journey starting from 1847... You can book your ticket on our website: ballycottonseaadventures.com Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather in October #ballycotton #greatlighthousesofireland #eastcork #seaactivities #corkireland

Ballycotton lighthouse

Ballycotton lighthouse tour

The weather is improving so we are starting tours to the Ballycotton Lighthouse again on Thursday 24th August. All bookings online at Ballycottonseaadventures.com If you are interested in Fishing tours, send us a text message at: 087 396 3998. #greatlighthousesofireland #seachurch #ballycotton #ballycottonseaadventures #eastcork #seaactivities

Thank you everybody who joined us yesterday at the Sea Church and celebrated with us INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE HERITAGE WEEKEND Thank you, Eddie, for sharing some amazing stories about your life as a lighthouse keeper, it was an amazing evening for all of us. I'm sure everyone enjoyed the night and we hope we can do it again soon. Thanks also to Derry and all BSA team (Hazel, Claire, Ann Marie and John) for your support to make this happen. Thank you Dani (The Lighthouse Project ), Molly and Mike for the artistic accent, the music and poets were really great. And the last but not least , I would like to thank all the musicians for the great music setting and the amazing atmosphere at the end of this evening. A very pleasant and unforgettable night for all participants. Crossing my fingers for the weather on Saturday, the winners of the raffle (10 double tickets to the Ballycotton Lighthouse trip) are looking forward to seeing the place, where Eddie spent a few years of his life. For those who were not able to join us , we are sharing a video, they can only regret...... #greatlighthousesofireland #seachurch #ballycotton #ballycottonseaadventures #eastcork #associationoflighthousekeepers #TheLighthouseProject

Windy day today in Ballycotton … tomorrow should be better and tours to the Lighhouse start at 12pm

Shortcuts

Our Story

Ballycotton Sea Adventures is only 45 minutes from Cork city by car and promises to transport you on an exclusive 90-minute historical natural visitor experience. Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours is a 'not-for-profit' business in cooperation with the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Any profit generated will go back into improving and developing the project - hopefully adding to Ballycotton as a tourist attraction and potentially creating local employment. One long term idea is to possibly create a small heritage centre in one of the old limestone Lighthouse Keepers houses. The Ballycotton Lighthouse lantern was first lit in 1851 and 141 years later the last lighthouse keeper was taken off the island due to the automation of the light. Now, for the first time ever, you can step onto the wild, natural and unspoiled lighthouse island. You can delight in the same incredible views from the lantern balcony that previously only resident lighthouse keepers have admired. Your local guide will meet you at the kiosk on the pier. You will enjoy a short open topped boat trip and be escorted on a brisk walk to the island summit and into the lighthouse. Your guide will delight you with historic tales and information on wildlife whilst you are surrounded by stunning views and fresh Ballycotton sea air. Our season is from April- October Brief History: The Ballycotton Lighthouse Sanction to build Ballycotton Lighthouse was obtained from Trinity House in March 1848. The lighthouse was commissioned and building was completed in 1850. The lantern lit on 1st June 1851 and at this time the Lighthouse keeper and his family lived on the island. In 1892 to prevent any confusion with the beacon on Capel Island , a broad black band was painted around the middle of the tower and in 1902, the whole of the tower was painted black (only one of two black lighthouses in Ireland). In 1975, the light was converted to electricity and in 1977 the lighthouse was modernised and a helicopter pad built next to the lighthouse. On 28th March 1992 the light was automated and the lighthouse keepers withdrawn. Ballycotton A famous seaside and fishing village set on a rocky ledge overlooking Ballycotton Bay in East Cork. Breathtaking scenery, an abundance of peace and fresh air as well as great local food and hospitality. Visit www.ballycotton.ie for more information on the area and where to stay when visiting Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours.