No less than 81 signal towers were constructed around the coastline of Ireland between 1804 and 1806. It was feared that there could be a French invasion of Ireland and the towers were placed so that constant observation of the coastal waters could be put in hand. The threat of invasion was diminished when Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and the stations were largely abandoned after that time. The structures themselves remain, in various states of dilapidation, and in this series we set out to explore their locations in West Cork and a little beyond.
The Signal Tower at Seven Heads (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 11) Seven Heads
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 10) Toe Head
An Evanescent Signal Tower – Glandore Head (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 9) Glandore Head
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 8) Brow Head
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 7) Cloghane
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 6) Dunnycove
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 5) Downeen
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 4) Robert’s Head
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 3) Old Head of Kinsale
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 2) Ballyroon Mountain
A Signal Success in Irish Engineering (Napoleonic Signal Stations – Part 1) Kedge Point
Roaringwater Journal 