Fastnet Lighthouse, County Cork, Ireland

Fastnet Rock seen from the water off Cape Clear, the granite tower rising from a lone rock in the Atlantic southwest of County Cork. The present light, designed by William Douglass and built from more than 2,000 dovetailed Cornish granite blocks, replaced an earlier iron tower and was first lit in June 1904. Sailors know it as the turning mark of the Fastnet Race, one of offshore racing's classic courses. Boat trips from the West Cork coast circle the rock in calm weather.