Brow Head facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brow Head
Ceann Bró
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| Etymology: Irish bró, "millstone" | |
 Brow Head
Location in Ireland
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| Country |  Republic of Ireland |
| County | Cork |
Brow Head (which is called Ceann Bró in Irish) is a really special place! It's the most southerly point of mainland Ireland. Imagine standing at the very edge of a country!
You can find Brow Head in a quiet area called Mallavogue, close to Crookhaven in County Cork, Ireland. It's about 3.8 kilometers east of another famous spot, Mizen Head.
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A Look Back in Time
Long, long ago, around the 2nd century AD, a famous writer named Ptolemy wrote about Brow Head in his book, Geography. He called it Notion, which means "southern promontory." So, people have known about this important point for a very long time!
What are Signal Towers?
Have you ever heard of signal towers? The one at Brow Head was built in 1804. Back then, Ireland was under British rule. These towers were part of a long chain built along the coast. Their main job was to warn people if the French army was trying to invade!
Originally, these towers used a simple but clever system. They would send messages using flags and big black balls on tall masts. It was like a secret code in the sky!
Mining for Copper
Brow Head, or Mallavogue as it was also known, was a busy mining area in the 1800s. People were digging for valuable copper ore here. You can still see the remains of the old mines and even the houses where the miners lived.
The first copper was dug up in 1852. Mining continued on and off for many years, right up until at least 1906. It must have been a tough job!
Connecting the World with Marconi
In 1904, a famous company called Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd. got involved with Brow Head. They made a deal to put special telegraph equipment and antennas on the Fastnet Rock. This lighthouse is out in the sea, a bit away from the mainland.
Later, the telegraph station was moved to Brow Head itself. This was a smart move because the signal tower there had already been used for a long time to talk to ships passing by. Messages would be sent to the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse using signals. Then, the lighthouse would send those messages wirelessly to the Brow Head station. From there, they could be sent on to whoever needed to receive them! It was an early form of modern communication!
