Overview
Glosh Signal Tower, recorded as Glash in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, stands on Termon Hill near the Gaeltacht village of Eachléim (Aughleam) on the Mullet Peninsula in north-west County Mayo. It was built as part of the coastal signal network during the Napoleonic wars. It’s a tall square block of stone, braced with buttresses and clad in quarry slates against the Atlantic weather.
Leave the tower, farm gates and surrounding land undisturbed. For a public heritage visit in the area, check the visitor arrangements at Blacksod Lighthouse.
The tower is really the marker; the view is the reason the site was chosen. From the hill the eye runs out over Blacksod Bay to Blackrock Island and its lighthouse, with Achill on the skyline on a clear day. The tower is best appreciated from a distance, as a stark shape against the sky.
The signal tower network
The towers went up after the shock of 1798, when the French landed at Bantry Bay and again at Kilcummin near Killala. Between 1801 and 1806, Britain built a chain of stations along the coast, each within sight of the next, so a warning could be relayed the length of the seaboard. Glosh Tower was built around 1806 as one link on the Mullet.
The method was simple: when a lookout spotted a ship, flags or balls were hoisted on the tower, and the next station passed the signal on down the line. The men who kept these watches were poorly paid militia posted to some of the most exposed ground in the country. Once the French threat faded the towers lost their purpose, and most were left to fall in; Glosh survived on the strength of its build.
What to see and do
- The tower from a distance – the stark shape of the tower against the sky makes it a strong subject for a photograph. Keep to signed public routes and do not cross fields or climb the walls; it is a roofless ruin.
- Ionad Deirbhle heritage centre – the Eachléim heritage centre, in a former schoolhouse, covers the signal towers, the 1798 rebellion and the maritime history of the Erris coast. Opening arrangements vary, so check before you travel.
- Walking and birds – the Mullet folds easily into longer coastal routes such as the Erris Head Loop. The machair grassland and dunes around it are good ground for nesting birds, so keep dogs on a lead.
Practical information
Glosh Tower is a ruin on farmland, so there’s no visitor provision, no shelter, and the wind on the hill can be serious. Leave the tower, farm gates and surrounding land undisturbed, and look at it from the public road network and signed routes only.
Getting there
- By car – from Belmullet, head west toward Eachléim. There is no dedicated parking or signed approach to the tower, so do not park on the road or in gateways.
- By public transport – bus services connect Ballina and Belmullet; from Belmullet you’d need a local taxi.
Visitor tips
- The ground in the area is uneven and slippery when wet; wear proper footwear. It’s not a site for pushchairs or anyone with limited mobility.
- There are no facilities nearby, so bring water and layers.
- Late afternoon gives the best light, when the low sun catches the slate and throws long shadows over the bay.