Tuskar Rock, Ireland

52°12.175′N 6°12.445′W / 52.202917°N 6.207417°W / 52.202917; -6.207417TowerConstructed1812–1815Constructiongranite towerAutomated31 March 1993Height34 metres (112 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lanternMarkingswhite tower and lantern, red lantern railRaconT LightFirst lit1815Focal height33 metres (108 ft)LensCatoptric light (original), Chance Brothers 500-millimetre (20-inch) annular lens (current)Intensity1 kilowatt lampRange24 nmi (44 km)CharacteristicQ (2) W 7.5sIreland no.CIL-0470^[1][2]

Tuskar Rock (Irish: An Tuscar)^[3] is a group of rocks topped by a lighthouse 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) off the southeast coast of County Wexford, Ireland. The rocks have probably destroyed more ships than any other Irish coastal feature.^[4][5] One hundred and seventy-six wrecks are listed for the Tuskar Rock area at Irish Wrecks Online.^[6]

The Tuskar Rock lighthouse, built from granite and standing 120 feet (37 metres) tall, was built over a period of years beginning in 1812. In October of that year, a storm struck, washing away temporary barracks that had been erected on the island, and killing fourteen workmen—the worst such disaster in Ireland's history of lighthouse construction.^[7] The surviving workers clung to the island's slippery rocks for two full days before being discovered and rescued.^[7] Work resumed, and the lighthouse was completed, entering into operation on 4 June 1815.^[7]

The Tuskar Rock air disaster occurred near the rock on 24 March 1968 when Aer Lingus flight 712, en route from Cork to London, crashed into the sea with the loss of all 61 people on board.

The name Tuskar rock has no foundation in the Irish language but actually came from the Vikings. It is one of many Viking place names found in the south of Wexford and means simply large (tu) rock (skar) in Old Norse.^[8]

Tuskar lighthouse is mentioned in John Masefield's ballad The Yarn of the Loch Achray as the place where the clipper Loch Achray dropped her tug, before sailing to the South Atlantic where she was wrecked off the River Plate.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1841 4 —     1851 7 +75.0% 1861 2 −71.4% 1871 6 +200.0% 1881 16 +166.7% 1891 3 −81.2% 1901 3 +0.0% 1911 4 +33.3% 1926 3 −25.0% 1936 3 +0.0% 1946 3 +0.0% 1951 6 +100.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1956 3 −50.0% 1961 6 +100.0% 1966 3 −50.0% 1971 3 +0.0% 1979 3 +0.0% 1981 3 +0.0% 1986 3 +0.0% 1991 5 +66.7% 1996 0 −100.0% 2002 0 0.00% 2006 0 0.00%
Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". irishislands.info. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

See also

• List of islands of Ireland
• List of lighthouses in Ireland
• Coastal landforms of Ireland
• Commissioners of Irish Lights

References

County DonegalCounty SligoCounty MayoCounty GalwayCounty ClareCounty KerryCounty CorkCounty WaterfordCounty WexfordCounty WicklowCounty DublinCounty LouthCounty DownCounty Antrim