Pete's Irish Lighthouses

Robert French photo showing the two lighthouses on Oyster Island (NLI) Séamus 'ac a' Bháird (1871–1951) - James Ward - was a Gaelic poet, songsmith, stepdancer and author, Prince, and later King, of Tory Island,  and helped lead the struggle in Donegal to keep Gaelic culture alive at a time when Britain was trying to wipe it from the face of the land. Surprisingly, he was part-reared on Eagle Island and Oyster Island. His father, Neal, became assistant keeper on Tory Island on 2nd November 1867, when he was 23 years old. This was a handy posting for him as he had been born and reared in Burtonport in northwest Donegal. It was probably during this first stint on Tory that he married  Éilis (Bessie) Ní Dhubhgáin  of that island.  Son  Séamus was born on Tory in 1871 but his first memories were of Eagle Island. The family were later transferred to Oyster Island in Sligo. He first went to school back on Tory Island, aged around 7 years, when his father, Neal, was tr...

Michael Woods was at Mew Island in 1918 This is a list which might be of interest to some readers who have lightkeepers in their family tree. And to former keepers who will doubtless recognise surnames from their own service. It lists all Irish Lights keepers as of 1918, giving such information such as service number, rank, date and place of birth, date of entering service, date of promotion to present rank, present station and date of being posted there, marital status, number of dependent children and special notes.

When the Titanic arrived at Queenstown (now Cobh) on the morning of 11th April 1912, 123 people (63 men and 60 women) boarded the PS America and the PS Ireland and travelled out to the great ship anchored outside Roches Point. They were accompanied by many smaller boats determined to sell lace and other wares to the rich passengers onboard.  Passengers waiting to board the paddle-steamers at the White Star Line wharf in Queenstown (Cobh Museum) Those who joined at Queenstown were not the elite: only three travelled first class, seven were second-class passengers and 113 were third-class, all seeking to find a better life in America. Only 44 of them survived to see the New World. Among the 123 were listed four passengers from the small town of Askeaton in county Limerick – Bertha Moran (32), her brother Daniel (27), her fianc é, Patrick Ryan (32) and a friend Margaret Madigan (21). The women would survive, the men would not. Bertha Moran (above) and her brother Daniel (below) wer...

  The old Lower Skellig lighthouse c. 1903 (courtesy NLI) There is a line in Compton McKenzie's novel The Lunatic Republic in which an astronaut is trying to explain literary fiction to the moon's inhabitants. But why would you want to read about things that never happened? came the unanwerable rejoinder. I am afraid I read very little fiction, though when I do, I am normally gripped from start to finish. But when I saw that the Lighthouse Keeper's Wife , the debut novel by June O'Sullivan, recounts the tragic events at Skellig Michael lighthouse in the late 1860s, I was intrigued, not least because I had done a lot of research on the Callaghan family for When the light goes out. So I bought it, started it and then life got in the way and I stopped about a quarter way through. It was not until a four-hour downpour on Inishturk last Saturday that I finished it.  This is not a review of the book. For a start, I am not qualified to review fiction. My one attempt at writi...

Commissioner of Irish Lights flag pre-1970 with the St George's Cross I recently came across this short debate on the ownership of Irish Lights in Dail Eireann on 10th July 1929: - Seán Lemass (Fianna Fail) asked the Minister for Finance whether he can give any information as to the probable date when the Irish Lights Service may be transferred from the control of the British to the Saorstát Government; whether the representations made by the Provisional Government against the dividing up of this service and its objection to handing over the administration of the lights on the North-East coast to any Northern authority is to be maintained; and if it is proposed that the lights, etc., in the area of the Northern Government are to be administered from the Saorstát as at present, and, if not, by whom is it proposed that they will be administered. Fionán Lynch ( Cumann na nGaedheal) :  Negotíations for the transfer of the Irish Lights Service are proceeding, but it is not yet possible...

I have been unable to blog the past few weeks so I am doubly grateful to Jim Gallagher for giving me permission to use his post on the Burtonport Heritage Facebook page. For many people, beacons and perches are just part and parcel of maritime street architecture but posts like these show they each have a story if only you dig a little. Thankfully Jim did his digging while it was still possible. Many similar stories from around our coasts will soon be lost forever. This post is about the building of the leading lights and navigation lights which take you from Arran ba y (Rosses bay) into Burtonport. For people that are not familiar with the sea. You will see in the picture of the navigation chart a lot of lights and shapes; every single one of these are required for safe navigation to get to and from Burtonport pier. If you look at the left hand side of the picture you will see two yellow circles and then a direct black line going out the bay. The two yellow circles are leading lights....