Commissioners of Irish Lights

Commissioners of Irish Lights
Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann
Predecessor
  • Irish Lights Department, Port of Dublin Corporation
Formation1867
TypeStatutory corporation
PurposeGeneral lighthouse authority
HeadquartersDún Laoghaire, Ireland
ServicesNavigational aids
Key people
David Delamer, Chairperson
Yvonne Shields, Chief executive
Websitewww.irishlights.ie
Formerly called
formerly

The Commissioners of Irish Lights (Irish: Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse authority for the island of Ireland it oversees the coastal lights and navigation marks provided by the local lighthouse authorities, the county councils and port authorities.

It is funded by light dues paid by ships calling at ports in the Republic of Ireland, pooled with dues raised similarly in the United Kingdom. This recognises that a large volume of shipping, typically transatlantic, relies on the lights provided by Irish Lights.[citation needed]