Blog - Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way
Fanad Head Lighthouse - Photograph It In The Best Light
28th June 2021
28th June 2021
Blog entry (c) Adrian Hendroff
Fanad Head Lighthouse to the southeast. (c) Adrian Hendroff.
Canon 5DMkIV, 16-35mm f/4L at 16mm, ISO 50, 30s at f/22. LEE polariser, 0.9 soft ND grad. Tripod. May.
Perched on a rugged clifftop on the mouth of Lough Swilly (Loch Súilí meaning ‘Lake of Shadows’ or ‘Lake of Eyes’), Fanad Lighthouse is regarded as one of Ireland’s great lighthouses and certainly one of the most beautiful in the world. It is found on the northeastern tip of the windswept Fanad Peninsula, a remote and stunningly beautiful corner of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The lighthouse was proposed in 1811 following the shipwreck of the HMS Saldanha in Lough Swilly. Designed by the renowned engineer George Halpin, Fanad Lighthouse was first lit on 17th March 1817. The lighthouse was converted to electric operation in 1975 and finally automated in 1983.
Photograph It In The Best Light
From the cul-de-sac outside the lighthouse gate, cross the fence then follow a wall that runs along an abandoned Victorian Coast Guard Station built in the late nineteenth century. The path by the wall (it is narrow along a short stretch so take care) should take you to a cliff-top overlooking a narrow and rocky sea-inlet with the lighthouse on the opposite end. Stand well away from cliff-edges while photographing, especially if it is windy.
Arrive early to cherry-pick the best spot to mount your tripod and shoot from; sunrise is generally the best time to shoot the lighthouse for the best light. If you’re here early from October to February, you’ll find vivid skies at dawn away to the southeast – so you might want to make your way farther along the cliff-top before shooting back at the lighthouse. On the other hand, from April to August the most colourful skies are to be found further to the northeast so a better place to shoot is from a grassy cliff-top ledge adjacent to the wall. Make sure to use a polariser to make those beautiful dawn colours pop and also to reduce any glare. This is a great place to experiment with those ND filters for longer exposures ranging from a second (if there are breaking waves in the inlet below) to a few minutes (to really smooth the water).
You may also want to catch a glimpse of the lighthouse from the south. For this, carefully get over the fence to the right of the lighthouse gate, then follow its perimeter fence until the lighthouse comes into view. You’ll need a zoom lens to shoot from here, with the best light occurring at dawn over the summer months.
Fanad Head Lighthouse from the south. (c) Adrian Hendroff.
Canon 5DMkIV, 24-70mm f/4L at 70mm, ISO 50, 6.0s at f/22. LEE polariser, 0.9 soft ND grad. Tripod. May.
Did You Know?
Sheep gazing out of the abandoned Coast Guard Station. (c) James O'Connor.
Nikon D810, 70-300mm at 170mm, ISO 800, 1/400s at f/5. May.
Into Astrophotography?
Fanad Lighthouse is also a great spot to shoot the milky-way over the early months of the year as the Galactic Core rises to the southeast. Use Photopills to plan or email fabulousviewpoints@gmail.com to register your interest in our upcoming Photographing the Night Sky course. You can also view some of our night sky images here.
Want to explore Donegal on foot?
Get a guidebook. We recommend Donegal, Sligo & Leitrim by Adrian Hendroff, published by the Collins Press. Click here to view a listing of the 27 walks on offer from the wild, untamed landscape of Donegal, with its mountains, sea-cliffs and glens, to the gentler hills, green valleys and picturesque escarpments of Sligo and Leitrim.
Getting There:
Around 45km / 50 minutes north of Letterkenny; take the N56 then the R249/246 to Milford. Later at Carrowkeel follow the road that runs along the eastern shores of Mulroy Bay through Tawny before veering northeast via Magheradrumman to reach a cul-de-sac at Fanad Head Lighthouse.
Lat/Long: 55.275611, -7.6345351
Grid Ref: C 23274 47667
what3words: ///cassette.byways.asked
Like What You See?
Then be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for regular updates.
Fanad Head Lighthouse to the southeast. (c) Adrian Hendroff.
Canon 5DMkIV, 16-35mm f/4L at 16mm, ISO 50, 30s at f/22. LEE polariser, 0.9 soft ND grad. Tripod. May.
Perched on a rugged clifftop on the mouth of Lough Swilly (Loch Súilí meaning ‘Lake of Shadows’ or ‘Lake of Eyes’), Fanad Lighthouse is regarded as one of Ireland’s great lighthouses and certainly one of the most beautiful in the world. It is found on the northeastern tip of the windswept Fanad Peninsula, a remote and stunningly beautiful corner of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The lighthouse was proposed in 1811 following the shipwreck of the HMS Saldanha in Lough Swilly. Designed by the renowned engineer George Halpin, Fanad Lighthouse was first lit on 17th March 1817. The lighthouse was converted to electric operation in 1975 and finally automated in 1983.
Photograph It In The Best Light
From the cul-de-sac outside the lighthouse gate, cross the fence then follow a wall that runs along an abandoned Victorian Coast Guard Station built in the late nineteenth century. The path by the wall (it is narrow along a short stretch so take care) should take you to a cliff-top overlooking a narrow and rocky sea-inlet with the lighthouse on the opposite end. Stand well away from cliff-edges while photographing, especially if it is windy.
Arrive early to cherry-pick the best spot to mount your tripod and shoot from; sunrise is generally the best time to shoot the lighthouse for the best light. If you’re here early from October to February, you’ll find vivid skies at dawn away to the southeast – so you might want to make your way farther along the cliff-top before shooting back at the lighthouse. On the other hand, from April to August the most colourful skies are to be found further to the northeast so a better place to shoot is from a grassy cliff-top ledge adjacent to the wall. Make sure to use a polariser to make those beautiful dawn colours pop and also to reduce any glare. This is a great place to experiment with those ND filters for longer exposures ranging from a second (if there are breaking waves in the inlet below) to a few minutes (to really smooth the water).
You may also want to catch a glimpse of the lighthouse from the south. For this, carefully get over the fence to the right of the lighthouse gate, then follow its perimeter fence until the lighthouse comes into view. You’ll need a zoom lens to shoot from here, with the best light occurring at dawn over the summer months.
Fanad Head Lighthouse from the south. (c) Adrian Hendroff.
Canon 5DMkIV, 24-70mm f/4L at 70mm, ISO 50, 6.0s at f/22. LEE polariser, 0.9 soft ND grad. Tripod. May.
Did You Know?
- Get unique prints (print only, framed, canvas or acrylic) of Fanad Lighthouse packaged and ready to hang on your wall at home or in the office. If you’re living in Ireland/Northern Ireland click here or if in the UK/Europe/USA/Canada/Australia click here.
- You can stay overnight in beautifully restored lightkeeper’s cottages at the lighthouse, and there are also guided/group tours of the lighthouse. Click here for more information.
- Fanad Lighthouse survived a lightning strike on a cold December’s night shortly before Christmas Day in 1916.
- The lighthouse tower is 22m high from its foundation to the top (not including its lantern). The light is around 40m above sea level and there are 76 steps in the tower – 59 of these are spiral granite and the rest are ladder steps.
- Lough Swilly is one of Ireland’s three glacial fjords. Can you name the other two?
- The derelict Coast Guard Station is great for photographing Donegal livestock that reside there!
Sheep gazing out of the abandoned Coast Guard Station. (c) James O'Connor.
Nikon D810, 70-300mm at 170mm, ISO 800, 1/400s at f/5. May.
Into Astrophotography?
Fanad Lighthouse is also a great spot to shoot the milky-way over the early months of the year as the Galactic Core rises to the southeast. Use Photopills to plan or email fabulousviewpoints@gmail.com to register your interest in our upcoming Photographing the Night Sky course. You can also view some of our night sky images here.
Want to explore Donegal on foot?
Get a guidebook. We recommend Donegal, Sligo & Leitrim by Adrian Hendroff, published by the Collins Press. Click here to view a listing of the 27 walks on offer from the wild, untamed landscape of Donegal, with its mountains, sea-cliffs and glens, to the gentler hills, green valleys and picturesque escarpments of Sligo and Leitrim.
Getting There:
Around 45km / 50 minutes north of Letterkenny; take the N56 then the R249/246 to Milford. Later at Carrowkeel follow the road that runs along the eastern shores of Mulroy Bay through Tawny before veering northeast via Magheradrumman to reach a cul-de-sac at Fanad Head Lighthouse.
Lat/Long: 55.275611, -7.6345351
Grid Ref: C 23274 47667
what3words: ///cassette.byways.asked
Like What You See?
Then be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for regular updates.