The Mayo lighthouse with a turbulent 186-year history

by Tom Gillespie

IN 2001 the lighthouse on Eagle Island, a small uninhabited island at the north end of the Mullet Peninsula in Erris, went solar.

That year, Patrick J. Gaughan, who had been an attendant at the lighthouse, looked back at the history of the lighthouse in the Kilmore Parish Magazine.

He wrote that in 1830 applications were made to the Ballast board by commanders Blake and Glascock of the coast guard service for a light on Blackrock or Inishmann point.

Mr. G. Halpin, the board’s inspector, however, reported in favour of Eagle Island. The board informed Admiral Paget, through whom the application was made, that Eagle Island had been selected as the most suitable station and the Trinity board gave their sanction on November 27, 1830.

Two lighthouses were built, Eagle Island East and Eagle Island West. The base of the west tower was 196 feet above high water and during the construction a great sea swept the partly built tower, two courses high, and much if the building materials clear into the sea.

The two towers were finally completed and a massive storm wall was built on the sea side of the towers.

The towers, 64 feet and 87 feet high, were 132 yards apart, with their lanterns at the same level – 220 feet above high water.

When the two lights at night or towers in daytime were in line they guided vessels past all dangers from Blacksod Bay to Broadhaven, including the Stags.

The tower, built of cut stone from quarries on the island, was painted white and could be seen for miles in clear weather.

The cost of the whole establishment until the end of 1939 was £36,428-10s-1d. The work was not quite complete when the lights were first exhibited on the night of September 29, 1835.

Eagle Island seemed destined to be struck by several storms. On the night of January 17, 1856, the lantern on the west tower was struck by a rock, shattering one of the panes of glass and extinguishing the light, but the keepers had the light working again within an hour.

The keepers dwellings were badly damaged and in those days keepers and their families lived in the island.

Both lanterns were badly damaged by a violent gale on February 5 and 6, 1850, and the lights were not restored until the 11th by the keepers because the man sent out to repair them could not make the passage until the 14th when a landing was effected and the whole story told.

On March 11, 1861, at midday, the light room on the eastern tower was struck by the sea, smashing 23 panes, washing some of the lamps down the stairs, and damaging the reflectors with broken glass beyond repair.

Truly an incredible wave to have come up 133 feet of rock and then a further 87 feet of lighthouse tower to cause so much damage.

In spite of the efforts of the keepers to repair the damage it was not until the night of the 12th before the light was restored and then only with two lamps and reflectors.

Another interesting aspect of this disaster was that so much water cascaded down the tower, making it impossible for the keepers on the island to open the door of the tower. They had to drill holes in the door to let the water out.

The storm which struck Eagle Island on December 29, 1894, and indeed many other west and north coast stations, damaged the dwellings of the east station beyond repair and not also broke the lantern glass, but put out the light and damaged the protecting wall.

The families took shelter in the tower and it was not until the next day that the families of the west tower realised their friend’s plight. Women and children were brought ashore and housed in Belmullet.

Mr. Douglas, the commissioners’ engineer-in-chief, suggested in his report that the east stationed should be abandoned and the west should be improved and, in the meantime, the fixed light apparatus that had been taken out of Tory Island should be installed in the west station with a six-wick burner and the east tower worked by keepers at the west dwelling.

This state of affairs lasted until November 1, 1895, when the new dioptric first order light at the west station came into operation and the east tower was discontinued and loped by 20-feet so that it did not cause a shadow. The new light was group occulting and showed white towards rogue sea and red landward.

Shore dwellings for the keepers and their families were built at Corclough on the Termoncarragh road near where the keepers could swim ashore to the island. The families moved into the dwellings towards the end of 1900.

A fog signal was looked for Eagle Island in 1910 but it was not until 1917 that at the expense of the Admiralty an explosive signal was installed.

A third order triple fishing catoptric lenses was exhibited on February 5, 1927, and the red cuts were abolished.

January 21, 1927, saw the establishment off another navigational aid, a radio beacon. This beacon send out a morse code signal, G.L., every six minutes in conjunction with the other five radio beacon stations, two in Ireland, one in Scotland, one in the Scilly Islands and one in France.

Thus a continuous service on a selected frequency can be picked up by a vessel and its position can be determined on a chart from two or three bearings obtained from these stations.

The shore dwellings were abandoned in 1955 and sold together with the dwellings at Blacksod, for Blackrock, in October 1956.

Finally, the light was converted to electric on July 17, 1968, with the same character group flash - three white every 10 seconds, and the candlepower increased to 1,400,000 and can be seen for 26 miles.

Eagle Island lighthouse was made automatic unwatched in 1988. The light and associated equipment is controlled by a computer-based monitoring system.

The attendant, with assistant attendant, visit the lighthouse every four weeks by helicopter to carry out routine work. A solar light was exhibited on Sunday, November 4, 2001. The light now flashes every 15 seconds.