Slyne Head

Slyne Head lies at the western edge of Connemara, where a chain of low islands and rocks extends into the Atlantic. Ships approaching Galway Bay from the north must pass this exposed coast, with its reefs and channels made dangerous by weather and swell. As Galway's trade grew in the early nineteenth century, merchants and mariners sought better lights on the western approaches. Two towers were built on an island off Slyne Head and lit in 1836, marking the hazardous coast for vessels making their way toward the bay.