Driving north from Portaferry on the A2, after about 5 miles, you finally hit the sea at Cloughey, Cloghy, Cloughy or Cloghey and lo and behold, gazing out onto the still waters, there are two objects sticking up above the horizon.This is the more southerly of the two, the famous South Rock or Kilwarlin Lighthouse. Built by Thomas Rogers in 1797, it is the oldest waveswept lighthouse in Ireland and possibly in the world. It was replaced by the South Rock lightship in 1877.
Just did a search to see if you mentioned my ship. My ship (Gannet) was moored off South Rock until Feb 2009 when it was sold. I have yet to find a good photo of the rock. This one looks great.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/IG--A5fac9Q?feature=shared we went out to the lighthouse last year .. you may see picture or two in the link .. also have a search for sheep on a shoestring videos and look for the wild Deere shipwreck part 1 -2 & 3. Regards.
DeleteLighthouse builder Thomas Rogers married a Devereux from Dungulph Castle in co. Wexford. Their son Jasper Wheeler Rogers was the first to bring the automobile to Ireland in 1838. He built these avant garde "steam carriages" behind his house in Dublin (1 Nottingham Road) or at an old flint-glass factory on Dublin's East Wall Road--a brick factory called "Fort Chrystal." During the Famine, Jasper Rogers purchased a country house in Robertstown he named "Peat House" and there hatched a scheme to have all the bogs of Ireland burnt into charcoal and shipped to England for a variety of uses including sanitation and smelting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant story! As Rogers sank into obscurity, the son seems to have been a great character.
DeleteThanks for the info on here ! Been reading Christopher Nicholson's new edition of Rock Lighthouses and he references this lighthouse and it's significance. So I was happy to find that I had captured a photo of it in Sept 2020 when on a road trip round Ireland visiting lighthouses. Your blog nicely confirms the exact location etc. Thanks. Just need another road trip soon to capture the west coast phares !! : )
ReplyDeleteExpecting my copy of Chris Nicholsons book any time now. Yes, South Rock is a vastly underrated light. Rogers may have been a bit dodgy in his management skills but he knew how to build lighthouses! If you need any tips visiting the west coast lights, send me a mail. Some of them are difficult to find!! Pete
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