Rock Island

Can you guess who this is? Answers in a moment*

Today we have enjoyed a nautical day out with our pals Robert and Finola and have been to Rock Island. We were also very fortunate in having with us, Aidan, who has written a book about this extraordinary place and took us to places we would never have thought of going. Rock Island is not really an island as there is a small natural land bridge across but it sits in a narrow strait near the attractive little village of Crookhaven at the end of the Mizen Peninsula. The island contains the Crookhaven Lighthouse which is now automated but the other buildings 
on the island were all originally built to house the keepers for this lighthouse and for two others - the Mizen and the most famous of all, the Fastnet (just spotted on the horizon to the left). The colourful terrace was built in 1907 for coastguards for smuggling was rife!  Elsewhere was this rather characterful castellated boathouse! We also came across a former lobster gathering plant which eventually became a garlic butter factory! Today almost every building seemed to be a holiday home and everywhere was deserted. 

* Have you guessed yet? Well, it's Marconi! Not a random statue for Marconi established a wireless station nearby on Brow Head in 1901. From here he experimented in wireless and ship to shore communication, eventually succeeding in getting messages across the Atlantic. Robert has written an excellent blog about it should you wish  to learn more. Himself thinks the statue is awful but I am more astonished that anyone commissioned to produce an image of Marconi should come up with this and I can't decide if it's madly creative or madly bizarre! Something about that silver suit!  I wonder what Marconi himself would make of it - as far as I know he wasn't prone to silver suits. (I could be wrong).

Edit: oops just realised I hadn't put up the extras