Patrick Whelan (273)

This is the only Irish Lights' transfer sheet I've ever come across, dated 24th March 1944. It appears that, reading from the bottom, PKs Blakely and Colfer swapped stations, as did Crowley and Staniforth. Then, still ascending the table O'Donnell was transferred from District Stores to AK at Kinsale, replacing Cahill, who went to Blackrock Mayo, replacing PV Whelan who went to the Hook, replacing Tom Hyde who went to the Bull Rock, replacing Hearne, who went to Dundalk, replacing Cecil Stocker who went on promotion to PK to the Hook. All this jiggery-pokery with the AKs looks like it was all because the PK at the top of the list, P. Whelan (273) had the misfortune to die on the 15th of the month.

New Ross Standard April 21st 1944

Of course, I had to find out what happened to P. Whelan (273). His death cert says he was 54 years old and married, and was principal keeper of the Hook lighthouse where he had died  of a coronary thrombosis (heart attack).

I then checked the listings for keepers between 1930 and 1944 and found that Patrick had served at the Hook from the 6th April 1926 to the day of his death, an unprecedented eighteen years at the one station. Most keepers got moved on every three years but Patrick had stayed at the Hook for all that time, even getting promoted to PK in 1939. I'm thinking there must have been special circumstances to allow him to do that.

The 1930-44 listings for keepers also indicated that Patrick had been born on 28th July 1889 and had entered the lighthouse service on 5th August 1914. He was promoted to AK on 1st May 1919 and became a PK 20 years later to the day.

I then did a search for Patrick in the 1926 census and found him at the Hook. He must have been only there a few days.

His wife, Margaret, was ten years older than him and they had four children, the last two, aged 5 and 3, having been born at Rock Island, the onshore dwellings for the Fastnet. A seven -year-old girl, Margaret, had been born in Wexford and a nine year old boy, James, in Dublin. 

Patrick had been born in Ayrshire in Scotland and Margaret in Wexford town. They had been married for eleven years. All were catholic.

Digressing to the children, 5 year old Patrick Vincent Whelan was born in Crookhaven. He would grow up to become lightkeeper 398. Commonly known as Vincent, he joined the service in 1941 and  spent three years on Eagle Island from that year. He was promoted to principal keeper at Dun Laoghaire in 1969 and served at Wicklow Head from 1972 to retirement in 1981. He died in 2002.

Vincent Whelan (photo John Hamilton) Anybody recognise the lighthouse?*

Seven year old Margaret had been born at Trinity Street, Wexford in 1918. Her mother's maiden name was Margaret Roche.

James had been born in Dublin in 1916 at the Rotunda. His father, Patrick, was a lightkeeper and the family lived at 23, Hastings Street, opposite Shelbourne Park, from where James had married Margaret the previous year. As James was an SAK at the time, it must have been quite a trip to get out to the Baily every day.

The 1918 roll of keepers shows Patrick born at Stevenston in Scotland. He was serving on the Fastnet since 16th November 1916, three months after James' birth. Margaret evidently decided to have daughter Margaret born in her native Wexford where she had family.

Crossing the water we find Patrick on the 1901 census with his parents James and Helen in Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast, about a mile away from Stevenston. His father is a dock labourer.

Its amazing how much you can find from one small entry on a small sheet of paper. It's also amazing how many more questions are raised - what brought Patrick from Scotland to Ireland? How did he get a job with Irish Lights, not really fitting any of the usual qualifications? And how come he served 18 years on what might be regarded a cushy number at the Hook? 

Patrick and Margaret's grave in Templetown Church cemetery

*Answer to follow later!!