It comes after one of its light bulbs was installed in a museum before the planning decision had been made.

The 180-year-old light source in Killough, Co Down, is a B1 listed building and one of 70 beacons sprawled around the island’s coastline.

It is operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), who filed an application in January allowing for the retention of the “rotating Fresnel lens and visible flash character”.

The proposal includes replacing the mercury that makes the light rotate and installing a low-energy LED alternative.

In February, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council confirmed that 66 objections had been submitted in opposition to the change.

Campaigner Eileen Peters said she was “shocked but not surprised” to discover the beacon’s filament bulb being displayed

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