The Dingle keepers

 

The Dingle lighthouse and the slightly over-kitsch dwelling house at the entrance to Dingle harbour. Photo Dave Lowcher

My previous posts about this picture-postcard lighthouse and other Dingle navigational marks  here, here and here failed to touch on the history of the light and the people who manned it. As usual, there are gaps in both chronology and detail that I hope local knowledge might be able to fill.
An Irish Fisheries report for 1884-6 mentions that the Dingle fishermen were complaining of the shallowness of the water in mid-channel and the absence of a light at the entrance of the harbour. Combined, this meant they often had to lay their boats to under small canvas at night and wait for daylight before safely landing their catch.

The Dingle Harbour Board, good men themselves, sought tenders at the end of October 1886 and the lamp shone forth on 1st April 1887, costing £589, a considerable saving on the £800 tendered. It was a fixed red light, ostensibly visible for nine miles. The position of lightkeeper had been filled that January. There had only been two expressions of interest in the post, which brought in £20 per year with free coal and oil, from Patrick Kelly and Michael Long. The latter, who was about sixty years old, got the job.

It is not known how long Michael served. He died in the workhouse on 6th December 1896, a widower aged 70 years. The cause of death of a two year complaint of chronic bronchitis means that he probably had to retire his position prior to that.

I haven't been able to locate when the new keeper was appointed but 51-year-old John Sullivan, his wife Mary, son Patrick and nephew William Sevanton, were the incumbents at the lighthouse for the April 1901 census. It is probable that John took over from Michael Long around 1895. Patrick was listed as a 19-year-old sailmaker. 

John and Patrick were still there on the 1911 census. Mary had died but her two adult daughters, Agnes and Aileen, were now in situ. Patrick, however, was soon to leave, having become engaged to the daughter of the harbourmaster. They would have six children, the last, Michael, being born in 1922. On Michael's birth cert, father Patrick is still described as a sailmaker.

This last piece of information is important, as it seems that Patrick took over from his father at the lighthouse but we don't know when. John Sullivan died in 1941, aged 91, 'probably of senile decay,' according to the cert. This narrows down the date of Patrick Sullivan's date of accession to the lightkeeping position to between 1922 and 1941, though one suspects it was nearer to the former than the latter.

Patrick shuffled off this mortal coil in November 1961, so it was probably slightly before this that Paddy Ferriter took over. A local fisherman, he was described as being the lightkeeper for 20 years. The light was automated in 1982, so that roughly confirms that he took over from Patrick Sullivan.

Paddy Ferriter

Paddy was a local character who loved to tell stories of the sea, He also claimed, and is now widely recognised to be the person who discovered Dingle's famous dolphin, Fungie, cavorting at the harbour entrance. There are many interviews with him and a few videos too.

After automation, Paddy continued to live at the lighthouse, though it started to fall into a serious state of disrepair. Not wishing to disturb Paddy, the Harbour Board waited until he had to go into hospital to do repairs. Sadly Paddy never came out of hospital and died in December 1993.

The house has been vacant ever since, though at various times, there have been calls for community groups to take it over. Sadly, the house will not be sold for residential use, or I'd be heading down there myself. The light is still an active aid to navigation.