Among the sights of Baltimore, we particularly recommend discovering the Baltimore Beacon, a stunning monument overlooking the city and the Atlantic. It’s actually a white, conical maritime beacon, built in 1798! A must-see!
The Baltimore beacon was built on the steep cliffs above the town of Baltimore in County Cork. Rather easy to spot, it measures 15.2 metres in height and 4.6 metres in diameter, and has become a veritable symbol of the city. Tourists love to have fun taking photos of it from all angles!
For the record, the beacon was built by order of the British government following the Rebellions of 1798. It was part of a larger series of beacons scattered along the Irish coast. This rather efficient system enabled the British to monitor the ocean and ward off possible attacks.
The beacon is locally nicknamed “Lot’s Wife” or “Salt Woman” in homage to an episode in the Bible where a woman was transformed into a pillar of salt.
Access to the beacon is free, and its setting is one of the wildest in the world, alternating between cliffs and ocean. A must-see!