For the Safety of All

There are 14 lighthouses in Great Lighthouses of Ireland and seventy in total still playing a vital role in maritime safety around the coast of the island today. The body responsible for all these lighthouses is the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

Founded over 200 years ago, Irish Lights is the General Lighthouse Authority for the whole of Ireland. Its motto ‘In Salutem Omnium’ (for the safety of all) hasn’t changed over the years and is as true today as it was in the 1800s.

Irish Lights manage all the lights, buoys and beacons around our coast and ensure that mariners, sailors and ships can safely navigate our waters. With about 95% of Irish imports and exports transported via ship, it’s critical to have reliable and effective aids to navigation.

The provision, management, and maintenance of navigational aids is just part of what Irish Lights does. Irish Lights also provide mariners with vital communications and data services, utilise world-class navigation technology and transmit live weather information. This accurate, localised, real-time information is used by all sorts of seafarers from cargo ships, passenger vessels, ferries, trawlers, to the smallest leisure craft.

With an all-island network of coastal and marine infrastructure, useful information can be gathered to support research carried out by industry, education and government bodies.

Irish Lights are particularly active in emerging fields such as e-navigation, environmental monitoring, marine technology and engineering, and renewable energy.

Irish Lights also operates the ILV Granuaile, a world class ship equipped with state of the art technology. The Granuaile fulfils many functions from assisting with aids to navigation management, placing offshore buoys and servicing offshore lighthouses, to search and rescue operations, oil pollution control, surveying and offshore data collection.

You can read a lot more about the Commissioners of Irish Lights and what they do here.