Hook Lighthouse and Dunbrody to reopen
HOOK LIGHTHOUSE and the Dunbrody Visitor Experience centre will reopen to visitors next week following a three-month closure due to COVID-19.
The iconic lighthouse is the most popular tourist attraction in Wexford and the team at the lighthouse have taken carefully measured steps to reopen in a safe manner to all of their visitors. Hook Lighthouse, the Lightkeepers Café and the outdoor dining option the Seahorse will all open seven days per week from Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last access to the grounds at 4 p.m. and dining closing at 5 p.m.
In order to ensure the safety of all staff members and the health and safety of visitors, all visitors must pre-book a free pass online in order to access the grounds of the lighthouse at www.hookheritage.ie as a limited number of passes will be available for each day.
To book a guided tour of the lighthouse, visitors can phone 051 397055. Once visitors are at the lighthouse they will be able to purchase tour tickets to take a private tour of the lighthouse tower with their own family members or in groups of five.
Lighthouse manager Lorraine Waters said: ‘We are delighted to be able to reopen to welcome visitors again to Hook Lighthouse. Behind the scenes, we have been changing lots of our access points on-site and arranging new systems in order to create the safest possible environment for the Hook team and all of our visitors. We are asking all of our visitors to help us to help them and to keep in mind all social distance guidelines and most importantly, for now, we require everyone planning to visit to log onto our website and book a free grounds access pass for the date that they would like to visit.’
Free passes for access to the grounds of Hook Lighthouse are now available and these can now be pre-booked at www.hookheritage.ie.
The Dunbrody centre is reopening on Wednesday, July 1, as some specialist fire and safety works have to be carried out next Monday and Tuesday.
Its CEO Sean Connick said tours and the cafe will be opening to the public, adding that everything will be impacted by the rules and regulations for reopening. This includes reduced capacity in the Captain’s Table restaurant.
Mr Connick said the business is completely reliant on the local and inter county market for this year, adding that he hopes international tourists will return in big numbers next year.