Tramore Beacons

Tramore Bay is marked by beacons on both the west and east headlands. To the west at Newtown are three pillars, one topped with the Metal Man, and to the east are two pillars at Brownstown Head.

Tramore began its existence as a fishing village, seeing rapid development with the arrival of the railway in Waterford in 1853.  Visitors were drawn to the area as a tourist destination.  It has a sheltered bay protected by a large sand spit.  The spit splits the bay, and behind it is a lagoon, the Backstrand.  The dunes are a Special Area of Conservation.

There had been demand for beacons to mark Tramore Bay as far back as 1811.  The sloop Commerce, bound for Waterford from Plymouth, was lost in the bay.  In addition, the vessel Grinder, bound for Lisbon from London, ran aground here.  A signal tower on Brownstown Head was blamed for being mistaken for Hook Head in bad weather.

A further tragedy occurred on 30th January 1816 when the vessel Sea Horse came to grief in Tramore Bay, with the loss of over 350 people.  There is a monument to the Sea Horse at Christ Church in Tramore.

Following the loss of the Sea Horse, beacons were built on either side of Tramore Bay.  These were funded by the insurers of Sea Horse, Lloyd’s of London. 

Three pillars were built on Newtown Head on the western headland and two on Brownstown Head, marking the eastern headland.  The groups of two and three daymarks were built to distinguish each headland. They were also built as a group to avoid confusion with the single tower of Hook Head Lighthouse, marking the entrance to Waterford Harbour.

The Tramore beacons were designed by George Halpin and completed in 1824.  Halpin had originally intended to have a 12ft high figure of a sailor mounted on top of a tower on each headland.

The Metal Man, as he is known, remains at Newtown Head but the Brownstown beacons did not have one, as the second one was lost.  The sailor is made of cast iron and points seawards on top of the central Newtown tower. He is said to warn sailors away from the shallow waters, calling “keep off, keep off, good ship from me, for I am the rock of misery“.

The design is attributed to Thomas Kirk, a Cork man who unveiled his design at an exhibition in London in 1817.  Four statues were cast from the same mould; one can be found at Rosses Point in Sligo.  The other two mysteriously disappeared.

Superstition has it that if a woman hops three times around his base, she will find a suitable husband within the year.  The hopping distance is about 80 yards, and the ground is uneven, so few make it!

Up to 1930, both the Newtown and Brownstown Head towers were painted white. From then onwards until 1957, the Brownstown towers were tarred, and the Newtown towers whitewashed. After this time, following repairs to the brickwork, it was decided to leave them unpainted, though the Metal Man is regularly painted.

Brownstown Head is a well-known bird-watching area, and is the migration watch point for many birds.

The Metal Man and Newtown pillars can be accessed from Newtown Cove Car Park, where you follow the coast to the beacons. However, it is tricky to access the pathway to the Metal Man, which is best seen from the road.

At Brownstown Head, the road ends and leads to a track that heads down to the headland.  Care should be taken on the cliff top.