The 800-year-old Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford re-opened to visitors on June 29th last following a temporary closure due to COVID-19.

Upon re-opening the Hook Lighthouse team requested that all visitors planning to visit the site from June 29th 2020 pre-register for a free ‘Grounds Access Pass’ at HookHeritage.ie in order to gain access to the grounds including parking. Tours of the lighthouse are restricted in numbers and can be pre-booked by calling 051 397055. These protocols were put in place in order to adhere to government protocols and ensure that Hook Lighthouse and visitor centre could reopen in the safest possible manner for everyone.

However, over the last week, in-particular large numbers of visitors have arrived at the lighthouse gates without pre-registering and many have been disappointed as they had to be turned away as the number of people on the lighthouse grounds had reached capacity.

Speaking of the protocols in place Manager Lorraine Waters says, “We are delighted to be open again and welcoming visitors to this iconic attraction, however, in the last seven days a lot of people planning to visit had not pre-booked, they were then annoyed that they couldn’t gain access to the grounds. This places additional pressure on members of our team, especially those team members who have the hard task of manning the gates. 

In keeping with restrictions, a limited number of free ground access passes are available each day and once they have been redeemed we have hit our capacity for that time.

In recent days the staff have encountered confrontation from some visitors who fail to understand capacity issues.  While we do not want to turn visitors away we have to adhere to our own and government protocols to ensure both visitor and staff safety.

Our team has been working so incredibly hard to facilitate our re-opening and work within all of the protocols that are required of us all. We have been operating at Hook Lighthouse in the safest possible manner under the Fáilte Ireland’s Infection Prevention Control for Tourism Businesses Safety Charter since June 29th and this is ensuring the best possible environment for not only our staff but for members of the public. So we are asking everyone again to please do not arrive at Hook Lighthouse without pre-registering for a FREE ‘Grounds Access Pass’ online at hookheritage.ie to avoid disappointment.”

Hook Lighthouse, the Lightkeepers Café and the outdoor dining option the Seahorse will all open 7 days per week from June 29, from 10 am to 6 pm, with last access to the grounds at 4 pm and dining closing at 5 pm. Pre-booking ONLINE is ESSENTIAL at www.hookheritage.ie