Pete's Irish Lighthouses

It would be fair to say that the Stocker line of Irish lightkeepers is one of the longest in the country, dating back to at least 1818 when Edward Stocker was first sent down to the Tuskar. Henry Aquila Stocker was on Tory when the Wasp was wrecked in 1884. Former keepers may remember Stephen and Henry and Lenny Stocker, who were all cut from the same cloth. One of the later Stockers who should really have continued the lightkeeping line was Leonard Vincent Stocker, born at the Baily lighthouse in Dublin on 5th August 1944. He later went on to write a remarkable book called Born on the Edge of White Water, in which he describes his lighthouse life through the eyes of his childhood self. His father was also called Leonard, though Leonard junior was always called Vincent from the day of his birth. In fact he never realised his name wasn't Vincent until much later in life! Leonard retired from Irish Lights in 1958 and Vincent wanted to sign up when he was old enough. Unfortunately, ...

South Arklow lightvessel c.1906. The Relief was sold in 1867 (This article originally appeared in Lamp 142, Autumn 2024) Despite having boasted the world’s second ever lightship in 1736, it was not until the mid-1820s that Ireland invested in her first purpose-built lightvessel when, like the buses, three came along at once. All were wooden ships, built by W. Roberts of Milford Haven and they were named the Seagull (1824), the Star (1825) and the Relief (1826). They were destined for the existing station on the Kish Bank and the two new stations on Arklow Bank and the Coningbeg Rock. The northern and western coasts of Ireland are rocky, while the eastern and southern shores are sandy, hence the need for floating lights (later light vessels) in these latter two quadrants. Many a ship had foundered on the treacherous sandbanks between Belfast and Cork. The ship, which had been positioned on the southern end of the Arklow Bank, now drifted a mile inside the very danger she was supposed ...

Huge thanks to Joanna Doyle for sending me these photos of the best seller Telephone Directory which she found at her parents' house. Joanna, as she has mentioned once or twice, is descended from a long line of Loughrey and Ryan keepers. Tantalisingly, Joanna only sent me a few pages to whet my appetite and it certainly is rip-roaring material, though slightly too racy for my taste. Joanna estimates the book, which is now, incredibly, out of print, dates from the early 1980s. I believe it was nominated for the Booker Prize one year but lost out for reasons of length.