Blackrock Island, County Mayo facts for kids
 |
|||
 Blackrock
Location in Ireland
|
|||
| Geography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Off coast of County Mayo, Ireland | ||
| Coordinates | 54°04′01″N 10°19′14″W / 54.0669°N 10.3205°W | ||
| Length | 0.4 km (0.25 mi) | ||
| Width | 0.25 km (0.155 mi) | ||
| Highest point | 82 metres (269 ft) (approximate) | ||
| Administration | |||
|
IRL
|
|||
| Demographics | |||
| Population | Uninhabited | ||
|
|||
Blackrock Island is a rocky island that stands about 70 meters (230 feet) above the sea. It's located northwest of Achill Island, about 12 miles west of Blacksod Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. This remote island gets a lot of rain (about 72 inches a year!) and is often covered in mist.
You can see Blackrock Island from the Mullet Peninsula. People sometimes say it looks like a volcano because of its shape! There's also a smaller rocky islet about 125 meters (410 feet) to the east, which is about 80 meters (260 feet) long. A few other rocky islets, like Fish Rock, Carrickaduff, and Carrackabrown, are spread out about 1 to 2 kilometers to the west.
Island Names
Locally, people call Blackrock Island Tór Mór. The organization in charge of lighthouses, Irish Lights, refers to it simply as "Black Rock."
Ocean Around Blackrock Island
The waters around Blackrock Island are known for their very large ocean swells and waves. This makes it tricky to get to the island, as seen during past lighthouse keeper changes and difficult recovery operations. The ocean floor drops quickly near the island, going down to 40 meters (130 feet) within a kilometer. Further out, towards Achill Island, the water can be 60 meters (200 feet) deep or more.
These deep waters are a popular spot for fishing. Anglers come here because they can catch large fish species like blue shark, porbeagle (a type of shark), halibut, and even giant bluefin tuna.
Blackrock Lighthouse
The lighthouse on Blackrock Island was built in 1864. It's a 50-foot-high (about 15 meters) round stone tower. It has a lantern at the top and a walkway (gallery) around it. The lighthouse is painted white and is attached to a small house where the keepers used to live.
This lighthouse is one of the most remote lighthouses in Ireland. It's also the most westerly lighthouse off the coast of County Mayo. In 1974, the lighthouse became unmanned, meaning no keepers lived there anymore. The island has been uninhabited ever since. In 1999, the lighthouse was updated to run on solar power, using energy from the sun.
The lighthouse keeper at Blacksod Lighthouse on the mainland is responsible for looking after the Blackrock lighthouse. People visit the island for inspections and maintenance, usually by helicopter, which lands on a special helipad. To help work crews who need to stay for longer repairs, one of the old keeper's houses has been fixed up.
