The death of George Halpin Snr

George Halpin's 1830s Tory Island lighthouse (photo by Aiden Behan)

In the history of lighthouses in Ireland, there is one name that stands out. Of course, George Halpin was the name of two of the Ballast Board's Inspector of Works and Inspector of Lighthouses, father and son, so that first fact is not surprising. But this post is about the death of George Halpin Snr, who ostensibly handed over the reins of the job to Junior in July 1854, upon his expiration, though it is likely that Junior had already assumed control long before that, as Dad was either 75 or 79 at the time.

Another Halpin beauty - Mutton Island in Galway

Little is known for certain of George's upbringing though he was possibly born in the Bridge Tavern in Wicklow Town, wherein I downed many pints in the late seventies and early eighties, before heading up to the Forge, Paddy O'Connors or Fitzpatricks. He joined the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin, usually (and thankfully) shortened to the Ballast Board and, when this body was given control of all the lighthouses around the country in 1810, he dragged a dark-coasted Ireland out of its lethargy and started building lighthouses all around the coast. Some of the most beautiful lighthouses, most of them still standing, are his work, even though he never formally trained as an engineer - the Tuskar, Mutton Island, St. John's Point x 2, Haulbowline, Fanad, Tory - the list goes on.

Curiously, not an image seems to exist of George Senior. If there is one, it has never come to light. We have an image of Junior, who was appointed assistant to Dad in 1830 and eventually took over, but not one of the founding father of Irish lighthouses.

George Halpin junior

Anyway, Irish Lights whom the Ballast Board morphed into in the late 1860s, have always insisted that George Halpin died on 8th July 1854 while on a tour of inspection of lighthouses on the south coast of Ireland. And to be fair, they should know. This fact has been so widely accepted that it is widely repeated. But, as Irish Lights is the go-to research source for those writing and talking about lighthouses, it is not really surprising that everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet. When I broached to Frank Pelly the possibility that he died in Dublin, Frank - who was and is the highest authority on all things Irish Lights - was adamant that the story was true and that he died at a lighthouse on the south coast. But even Frank couldn't name the lighthouse.

There are a couple of reasons that I doubt this universally-held wisdom.

• The newspapers at the time state he was in his 80th year. Genealogical sources suggest he was 75 years old. Now, bearing in mind that 75 in 1854 was like being 100 today, would George really have been undertaking inspection tours of lighthouses on the southern coast? Far more likely that George, the son, would have taken over all of that business. Could it be that George Junior was conducting such an inspection when his father died, and some future researcher mixed up the two? 
• Every newspaper at the time states that he died at his residence in Dublin. I accept the fact that a story like this was syndicated around to different papers and they all carry the same few words verbatim. "We regret to have to announce the death of G. Halpin, Esq, Inspector of Irish Lighthouses. Mr. Halpin died at his residence in Dublin on Saturday morning." 
• No newspaper carries a mention of his sad return from the south coast, probably by boat, if it had occurred.
• Saunders Newsletter carries a bit more information on the unfortunate event. As you can see, it quotes its source as being The Advocate.

The clipping doesn't actually mention the location of the post-breakfast tragedy but it is lifted word for word from the Advocate. Now, the Advocate was a Dublin paper that only came out on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and the report in the paper came out on the evening of George's death, Saturday 8th July. I am very doubtful whether news from the south coast could have reached Dublin in time to make the evening papers. Whereas Mr. Halpin, who lived on the North Wall in the heart of the dockland that he had done so much to create, would easily have made the evening papers in Dublin, if he had died at home.

This ends the case for the prosecution.

George's final resting place in Mt. Jerome Cemetery, Dublin. Not really a miniature lighthouse, as I had expected.