The Old Head Signal Tower stands on the closest point of land to where the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915, which is why this squat stone watchtower, built in 1804 against a French invasion, now houses the Lusitania Museum. It sits at the tip of the Old Head of Kinsale in County Cork, the first Signature Discovery Point on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Give it an hour, which is about what Discover Ireland suggests. The Lusitania half of the museum and the memorial garden are the reason to come; the signal-tower history is the lighter side of the visit.
A Napoleonic warning system
The tower’s origins lie in the fear of French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. In the early 19th century, British authorities built a chain of 81 signal towers, from the Pigeon House Fort in Dublin to Malin Head in Donegal, each positioned within sight of its neighbours so messages could be relayed by flags and balls. The Old Head tower, numbered 25 in the network, was completed between 1804 and 1806. After the threat passed and the system fell out of use, the tower was left to crumble until Courceys Rural Development and a local heritage group led a community-driven restoration, rebuilding it to its original height and layout.
The Lusitania Museum
The tower reopened to the public in 2015, timed to mark the centenary of a different maritime tragedy. Inside, the story is split between the tower’s own history and that of the RMS Lusitania.
The ground floor covers the signal-tower network and the older heritage of the Old Head peninsula. The first floor is given over to the British luxury liner, torpedoed by a German U-boat on 7 May 1915 about 18 km from this headland. The museum avoids sensationalism, leaning on survivor testimony and human-interest accounts. Artefacts recovered from the wreck, period newspapers and personal memorabilia sit alongside interactive panels that set the sinking within the wider First World War.
Memorial garden and wave sculpture
Outside, the landscape has been shaped to honour those who died. A 20-metre wave-shaped metal sculpture lists the name of every passenger and crew member lost on the Lusitania.
The garden’s amphitheatre setting is a quiet place for reflection, looking out over the water where the ship went down. The contrast between the calm of the garden and the raw ocean beyond is what most visitors take away.
Panoramic views
One of the main draws is the rooftop parapet, a 360-degree platform. West is open Atlantic; east, the fairways of the Old Head Golf Links run along the cliffs; south, the Old Head Lighthouse sits out at the point.
Here’s the catch, and it’s worth knowing before you plan a walk: the headland beyond the tower is a private golf links, so you can’t stroll out to the lighthouse. The lighthouse opens to the public only a handful of days each year, with a shuttle bus from the signal tower – check the website for dates. From the tower itself you can watch seabirds on the cliffs (guillemots, choughs, the odd peregrine) and hire binoculars at the entrance to pick out the markers over the wreck site.
Guided Lusitania walk
From mid-May, local historian Jerome Lordan leads a Lusitania Talk and Walk from the memorial garden on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2pm – about 90 minutes, €12 a head, tickets at reception. It’s the best way to get the full story rather than reading the panels alone.
Practical information
Opening hours
- March – October: daily 10am – 5pm
- November – February: closed
Admission Admission is modest – around €5–€6 for an adult at the time of writing, with under-12s free and reduced rates for students, seniors and groups (10+, by advance booking). Prices aren’t always listed online and some recent visitors report lower figures, so check the website before travelling.
Getting there About 38 km from Cork city and 33 km from Cork Airport, signposted from the R600 coastal road. Free parking is available on site – the access road is shared with golf-course traffic, so take it slowly. Without a car, the Local Link route 253 runs from Kinsale to the Old Head in about 20 minutes (single fare around €4); a taxi from Kinsale is roughly €22–€27. The R600 is also a popular coastal cycling route, with secure bike racks near the entrance.
Accessibility and facilities The museum and memorial garden are wheelchair accessible by ramp; the tower interior and rooftop are reached by stairs, so contact the site in advance if that’s a concern. The on-site Grounded Café does coffee, cakes and light lunches, and there’s a gift shop with books, postcards and local crafts. Free Wi-Fi throughout.
Contact
- Phone: +353 214 191 285
- Email: info@oldheadofkinsale.com
- Website: oldheadofkinsale.com
- Map: Google Maps location
For the fullest visit, time it for a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and take the 2pm Lusitania walk from the garden – then give the rooftop the last half-hour, when the light is best over the water.