A blog about Irish Lighthouses past and present and other selected maritime beacons and buoys of interest. If anybody has any corrections or additional info on any post, please use the comment section or the email address on the right.
Copper Point Long Island
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More crappy photos, tortuously brought to this blog by non-digital camcorder, DVD hard drive, then a photo of a still image.
Taken from the Schull - Cape Clear ferry as you leave Roaringwater Bay on the way out. Built in 1864, this was a daybeacon only until a light was added thirty years ago.
For the last five years, one of Ireland's last historic lightships, the Skua, has sat on the north pier of Arklow Harbour rotting. Not only does this have a giant impact on our environment, it is also a huge shame to see such a majestic ship end her days this way. This ship has saved many lives during its service to The Irish commissioners' of lights as it guided thousands of sailors safely back to their home shores, but now, owned by a development/construction company and due to the current economic climate it sits and waits. Blue Planet Charity was born out of a desire to take a positive active role in rescuing this historic vessel and insuring an environmentally friendly humanitarian future by converting her into a majestic Tall Ship Mission Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Re-utilize, Re manufacture and Re cycle With this in mind the aim is to rescue one of Ireland's last lightships the Skua, decommissioned in December 2004 and transform her into a beautiful tall ship,
The Vision To take this ugly duckling and transform her in to a thing of beauty a modern day tall ship, totally embracing new technology wind and solar power and promoting same throughout the world.
Goal when finished the Skua will be put to work delivering much needed medical supplies, food, and educational goods throughout the third world. Working closely with other charities and provide a platform to launch a youth trust programme providing education and empowerment It is our wish that this ship take on a role similar to the Asgard 2, but with a worldwide humanitarian role, flying the Irish flag with pride where ever she goes. We have approached the owner who is willing to sell on to us and is supportive of the overall project, He has also agreed to allow us a twelve month period to raise the required sum fifty thousand euro, It is estimated that the overall project will cost in the region of one million euro and take a period of three years, relying on community support volunteers, State support in the form of F.A.S. student participation and help from the tall ship community. We feel we can achieve this low cost by recycling as much as possible. We would ask that you review our application with a view to the people whose lives it will impact in the years to come. The countless millions throughout the third world, the volunteers and community it will impact, The pride she will bestow on the Nation as a hole and the youths whose lives she will impact by allowing us a platform to educate and empower. We do not wish to impact on the already dwindling funds for charitable work, but to be allowed the opportunity to become a positive assistance to the established charities by abolishing their shipping costs where ever possible. It is our intention that once up and running this project will become self sufficient by accepting donations from people wishing to travel with us and assist in humanitarian work. We will also extend this opportunity to those that cannot afford it by allowing them to fundraise on our behalf. For more information on the history of the Skua and our project please visit http://blueplanetchatity.ning.com
When this blog started, many moons ago, it was a simple 'visit a lighthouse, take a photo or two and add a bit of info' sort of a blog. For better and worse, it has become much more historically minded and the need to have visited has gone. So it is something of a breath of fresh air to get out and actually visit an Irish lighthouse I had never seen. So, an unexpected free day at the start of September, saw me up early and driving across the country to south-west Donegal to bag the last of the easily baggable lighthouses. I could have taken a boat tour and got pretty close to Rotten Island but the distance from the mainland seemed minimal. Basically, I got to Bruckless and, with the help of Google Maps, headed for the Atlantic View B & B, which ended at a stony beach. Parking up (making sure I left a gap for any boat-laden cars to get through) the lighthouse was visible from the beach (see next photo) The tide was low so I walked up the beach towards the lighthouse, eventua...
It is nearly three years now since I started making plans to see the remains of the infamous Calf Rock Lighthouse off the tip of Dursey Island, a stark reminder of the terrible power of the sea. Two years ago we came down with the express purpose of seeing it but were thwarted by maintenance to the cable car, the only viable means for tourists to reach the island. This year we were luckier and crossed early in the morning, albeit on one of the windiest days I've ever known. Not blustery, just a constant driving wind that increased in intensity the nearer you got to the western tip of the island. Small wonder it has been called the windiest place in Europe. Due to the frequency of shipwrecks off the south west coast of Ireland, a decision was reached in 1857 to construct a lighthouse off the end of Dursey Point. There were many (the contractor included) who argued that the Calf Rock was too low an island to place a lighthouse and that Bull Rock, a little further north ...
The very beautiful old Skellig Michael lower light before renovation. This post is entirely based on Seamus Farrell's painstaking research into his father's career Francis J. "Frank" O'Farrell, Service no. 517 was not, like many others, born into the lightkeeping service. You could say that he chose the service, rather than the service choosing him. Born in Waterford in January 1934, his father was a member of the Gardai. After school, he joined British Rail as an electrician and also became a wireless operator in the Merchant Navy, laying communication cables between England and France. Apparently the only time he got wet in the latter job was having to stand in the rain at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953! Frank as a wireless operator in the Merchant Navy aged 19 Frank (centre) in the Merchant Navy Returning to Ireland, he was appointed a Supernumerary keeper with Irish Lights in November 1956, a position he held for four years which, to me, seems a v...
For the last five years, one of Ireland's last historic lightships, the Skua, has sat on the north pier of Arklow Harbour rotting. Not only does this have a giant impact on our environment, it is also a huge shame to see such a majestic ship end her days this way.
ReplyDeleteThis ship has saved many lives during its service to The Irish commissioners' of lights as it guided thousands of sailors safely back to their home shores, but now, owned by a development/construction company and due to the current economic climate it sits and waits. Blue Planet Charity was born out of a desire to take a positive active role in rescuing this historic vessel and insuring an environmentally friendly humanitarian future by converting her into a majestic Tall Ship
Mission
Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Re-utilize, Re manufacture and Re cycle
With this in mind the aim is to rescue one of Ireland's last lightships the Skua, decommissioned in December 2004 and transform her into a beautiful tall ship,
The Vision
To take this ugly duckling and transform her in to a thing of beauty a modern day tall ship, totally embracing new technology wind and solar power and promoting same throughout the world.
Goal
when finished the Skua will be put to work delivering much needed medical supplies, food, and educational goods throughout the third world. Working closely with other charities and provide a platform to launch a youth trust programme providing education and empowerment
It is our wish that this ship take on a role similar to the Asgard 2, but with a worldwide humanitarian role, flying the Irish flag with pride where ever she goes. We have approached the owner who is willing to sell on to us and is supportive of the overall project, He has also agreed to allow us a twelve month period to raise the required sum fifty thousand euro, It is estimated that the overall project will cost in the region of one million euro and take a period of three years, relying on community support volunteers, State support in the form of F.A.S. student participation and help from the tall ship community. We feel we can achieve this low cost by recycling as much as possible.
We would ask that you review our application with a view to the people whose lives it will impact in the years to come. The countless millions throughout the third world, the volunteers and community it will impact, The pride she will bestow on the Nation as a hole and the youths whose lives she will impact by allowing us a platform to educate and empower.
We do not wish to impact on the already dwindling funds for charitable work, but to be allowed the opportunity to become a positive assistance to the established charities by abolishing their shipping costs where ever possible. It is our intention that once up and running this project will become self sufficient by accepting donations from people wishing to travel with us and assist in humanitarian work. We will also extend this opportunity to those that cannot afford it by allowing them to fundraise on our behalf. For more information on the history of the Skua and our project please visit http://blueplanetchatity.ning.com
come check out the site Pete