Tuesday, back to work at Mt. Juliet, so my parents went to Hook Lighthouse. Since they have left I too have visited the Hook Lighthouse. Hook is the oldest working lighthouse in Ireland and, at over 800 years old, one of the oldest in the world. By far one of the oldest pieces of history I have visited this summer.

The lighthouse stands at 35m (114.8 ft) tall along with 115 steps up. In the early years the lighthouse was run by Monks from the area. They would have brought the coal up the steps to the top to keep the light burning. In the lighthouse a prayer room was constructed to accommodate the monks, and smaller rooms were made in the upper floors. The lighthouse has two floors below the top that house the lighthouse keepers over the years. Each room had an area for a second level that was used for sleeping. The 1st floor house the assistants and the second floor was for the head lighthouse keeper.

Today the light runs from electricity and can be monitored from a central area to Ireland, but there is still a part time lighthouse keeper who checks the light one a week. With the increasing technology in boats there is doubt to how much longer lighthouses will be needed to guide boats in from sea. A very cool piece of history that is a must see. 

After work my parents and I took one last walk around the putting course and Mount Juliet. Then we just spent some time in Thomastown visiting a few shops before getting a bite to eat. On Wednesday they dropped me off at work and headed to Dublin and their flight in the morning. I gathered that my parents enjoyed Dublin and Dad really liked the Shackleton Experience. Just goes to show that as much as you plan not everything can be mapped out before hand and some of the best memories will be the ones done on the fly. The days flew by with my parents, but I had lots of fun being with them. Just a short time till I'll be home for 2 day though so I know the rest of my time will fly by fast with a few trips already planned out.