The spectacular Mizen Head footbridge reopens to the public on St. Patrick's Day, 17^th March 2011. Fáilte Ireland, the Commissioners of Irish Lights and Cork County Council jointly funded the €1.8m contract to rebuild the iconic structure. Since the station was first opened to the public in 1994, it has attracted 50,000 visitors annually.

The bridge spans over a sea gorge some 45m above sea level and connects the mainland to Cloghan Island. Its purpose was to provide access for lightkeepers and staff of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in the operation and maintenance of the aids to navigation facilities at Mizen Head. In recent years, the bridge has become a popular tourist attraction as it links the Mizen Head Visitors' Centre with displays in the original lighthouse buildings on the island. The footbridge forms an integral part of the visitor centre operation. The attraction of the site is the ability to access the island and reach the most south-westerly point in Ireland from which visitors are rewarded with magnificent marine vistas.

The original footbridge was completed in 1909. The bridge comprised both precast and in-situ reinforced concrete elements and is considered to be an early example of the use of reinforced concrete construction as a material in its day and the first reinforced concrete bridge built in Ireland. The 52m span was of record length for reinforced concrete arch construction.

The original bridge designer was Noel Ridley of Westminster, London and the Contractor was Alfred Thorne and Sons of Westminster, London. The 1908 contract price was £1,272. Rope ladders were used to access the cliff face to construct the bridge foundations. The original bridge was constructed with the use of an overhead wire ropeway. Temporary towers were erected on both sides of the gorge and cables slung between the two towers. The cables were used to winch construction materials into place to form the bridge.

Throughout the 100 year life of the bridge, it has been subject to extreme weather and environmental conditions. These conditions slowly took their toll and caused serious deterioration of the structure. In 2005, a temporary footway was installed on the bridge. The lifespan of the temporary footway came to an end in 2009 just in time for the contract signing for the construction of the new structure.

The new bridge was designed as a two-pinned arch and is constructed in reinforced concrete using stainless steel reinforcement. Construction work commenced on site in October 2009 and was completed in December 2010. The new bridge is a replica of the original footbridge but with the deck 700mm wider. The new structure is a fitting testimony to the original designer and contractor, and to the Commissioners of Irish Lights who looked after the original structure for 100 years.

Fáilte Ireland, Cork County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights jointly funded the €1.8m contract. Cork County Council is Client for the project. The Contractor is Carillion-Irishenco, and the bridge design and contract supervision is by RPS Consulting Engineers.