Rage against the dimming light: Irish rebel over lighthouse LED makeover

Proposals to install low-energy devices in seven coastal beacons in the north and the republic have angered campaigners, who say the enchanting loom' of the beams will be lost

The loom of the light" is a phenomenon that lets you see the glow of a lighthouse from over the horizon. Particles of water vapour in the atmosphere scatter the light upwards so it can be glimpsed further than the line of sight. It is an optical wonder that has delighted - and guided - mariners for centuries.

But now some fear an environmental push towards low energy will extinguish a loom that stretches across the Irish Sea, draining beauty from the nocturnal landscape.