Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is being urged to stop the Commissioner for Irish Lights (CIL) downgrading the range of beams emitting from the country’s most iconic lighthouse.

FOR much longer than millennia, islands have been a source of intrigue, writes Dan MacCarthy. Someone gazes out from the mainland wondering: “What is out there?”

Divers and robots will today try to retrieve the black box of Irish Coast Guard helicopter R116 from the ocean where it is thought to lie at a depth of up to 40 metres.

The sound of crashing waves is the norm for Valentia Island off south Kerry and Loop Head off west Clare, where lighthouses guide mariners to safe havens.

Ever wanted to stay in a lighthouse, to hear the waves crash around you and wake up to stunning views?

For those who think the Wild Atlantic Way isn’t quite wild enough, the All-Island Lighthouse Trail might be just the thing.

AS the McNulty farce sadly reminded us this week our relationship with accountability or transparency could hardly be described as natural or embracing.

WE all know Christmas is a time for catching up with friends and family, even those spending the festive period abroad.

Thousands have been left without power, roads have been ripped up and isolated homes have been cut off from the mainland after storms ravaged the country.

An historic lighthouse is set to open to the public to help raise funds for an ambitious restoration project.

The lavish €600m Terminal 2 building at Dublin Airport has been left in the shade by a near-€2m foot bridge project in West Cork.

The bridge linking Mizen Head lighthouse to the mainland is due to be officially reopened today.

THE iconic Mizen Head footbridge closed for more than a year for an historic revamp has re-opened to the public.

A €2 MILLION footbridge connecting Mizen Head to the most south-westerly lighthouse in Ireland is likely to be completed by Christmas.

AN ANGLO-IRISH government report has criticised the running costs of Irish lighthouses and recommended Britain stop providing a multi-million euro subsidy towards the service.

A HIGH-LEVEL British government report has called for an end to the practice of paying a multi-million euro subsidy for Ireland’s lighthouses.

ENGINEERS hope to save a famous mariners’ “lucky charm” as part of a major upgrade to an important navigation beacon outside a busy fishing port.

YOUR report headlined ‘Calls to review British ownership of lighthouse’ presented some interesting ‘facts’ (March 4).

LIGHTHOUSE chiefs are continuing a search for an engineering firm prepared to rebuild a famous, century-old footbridge in west Cork.

The search is on for daredevil engineers to rebuild the famous Mizen Head footbridge in West Cork.

WHILE intelligence is the key element in most major drug seizures, Jerome Lordan (July 16), correctly highlights the role of coastal surveillance in the security of our coastline and the war on drugs.

Bowen Construction has won an €80m contract for one of the most important tourist industry developments in the midlands.

IN your article “Old Head braced for protest invasion” (Irish Examiner, May 17) I noticed a number of untruths.