Skellig

1909

1826

Eire

Trinity House & Board of Trade

3rd order

Revolving

Active

Fl (3) 15s.

12m White tower

Skelligs lighthouse is one of the main lights off the south west coast and is located on the outer and larger of the Skelligs Rocks; eight miles (12.8km) from the mainland. Early in 1816 Maurice Fitzgerald, Knight of Kerry, reminded the Corporation preserving and improving the port of Dublin that over twenty years previously the grand jury of the county of Kerry had looked for a lighthouse on Bray Head, Valentia Island, which had been agreed but suspended until the opinion of Trinity House had been taken. The Board then approached Mr. J. Butler of Waterville, Co. Kerry for terms on which he would lease forever Great Skelligs rock. He replied the following month stating a rent of £30 per annum for the 986 years left of his own lease. He hoped that it was not too extravagant, as heretofore both he and his father had been paid a rent of 16 to 18 stone of puffin feathers, which would rear 100 sheep in summer and 50 in winter. Later a value of £780 was placed on the rock, which was paid to Butler estate.

1821 work started on construction of two lighthouses, the upper light is 121.3m above HWM and the lower light is 53.3m above HWM. The east-landing road being set into the rock towards its lower end at blind Man’s Cove necessitated blasting tons of rock into the sea. Unfortunately a considerable length of the lower end of the path and steps leading up to the eastern end of the monastery beehive settlement were permanently destroyed and lost forever. Both lights were exhibited Monday 4th December 1826, these lights were fixed 1st order catoptric, supplier unknown. In 1870 the upper light was discontinued when a light was established on Inishtearaght 22 miles north of the Skelligs. During the winter of 1845-46 rape seed oil was tried by the Service and found to be better than sperm oil. It was generally introduced . The lower light received a new revolving light in 1909 after a detailed survey by the Board of Trade and Trinity House. Trinity House and Board of Trade sanctioned in April 1907 a triple flashing 3rd order light and an explosive fog signal 3 quick reports every 10-minute. Chance Brothers of Birmingham supplied the optic and pedestal and David Brown of Leeds the rotation machine. The 1962 Inspecting committee on Tour recommended the modernisation of Skelligs lighthouse. The 1909 Chance Brothers optic was retained with a 3kw 100v.lamp replacing the vapourised paraffin mantles and driven by a ¼ h.p.electric motor on the 25th May 1967 the 1,800,000 candlelas light came into operation. The 40ft. (12.2m) tower and dwellings were painted white. Automation work started in 1985 and on the 22nd April 1987 was completed.

The light was converted to solar power from 22 October 2001. The existing 3rd order rotating lens was retained. When Skelligs was automated in 1985, an attempt had been made to install an energy efficient rotation mechanism but difficulties in controlling the rotation at the required speed could not be resolved at that time. The speed of the solar powered optic was therefore reduced, the character of the light being changed from 3 flashes every 10 seconds to 3 flashes every 15 seconds, and the lens is now rotated using an energy efficient PRB 22 drive pedestal. In addition, the mercury bath in which the lens rotates was cleaned to reduce the drag on the lens. This was a difficult operation requiring very stringent safety procedures, including a satisfactory inspection on site by an official from the Health & Safety Authority. The 1kiloWatt metal arc lamps were replaced with 35 Watt discharge lamps fitted in a lamp changer incorporating glass reeded diffusers, reducing the range of the light to 19 nautical miles.

Commissioners of Irish Lights

Open

Closed

51°46.108' North 10°32.519' West

https://www.irishlights.ie/tourism/our-lighthouses/skelligs-rock.aspx https://www.skelligsrock.com/history/lighthouse/

Legendary references to Skellig rocks go back to pre-Christian times; but the collection of beehive dwellings, oratories and crosses are attributed to Saint Finian around the sixth century. Located close to the beehives is a medieval chapel and two wells dedicated to Saint Michael, patron saint of high places. The monastery, as it is usually referred to, is positioned on the south side of the 611 foot (186.2M) North-East peak at a height of around 550 feet (167.6m) above sea level. The approach is from the lighthouse road, on the south side of the rock, climbing over six hundred steps via the south side of the rock, climbing over six hundred steps via Christ's Valley, a saddle at 442 feet (128.6m) between the two peaks, into the cashel above which are the beehives. The large sloping and flat area above the monastery gives the impression that stone for the cashel and beehives would have been quarried from what was a much higher North-Eastern peak. I very much doubt if the monks brought the stone from the mainland.

Occupation of the monastic site by monks would have probably ceased with the dissolution of monasteries in 1538 by Henry VIII. Subsequently the settlement seems to have been periodically visited by pilgrims either for fervent religious reasons or just simply for peace and quiet. Today literally hoards of tourists make a one day pilgrimage during the summer months - weather permitting - so much so that on occasions Skellig Michael has been closed to visitors whilst Board of Works tradesmen repaired the damage done to the monastic site.

Towards the end of 1889 the parish priest of Cahersiveen claimed in the interest of the Roman Catholic Church that the keepers who since 1880 had been appointed “caretakers” by the Board of Works of the National Monuments on Great Skelligs, should be of the faith and desired that the present Protestant keepers should be replaced. The Board ordered that the Reverend gentleman be informed that they cannot accede to his request but assured him every care is taken of the monuments.

Prior to the advent of the radio telephone the Keepers relied on semaphore signalling, with a pair of long handled bats, to Bull Rock 16 miles (25.5km) away. The signaller positioned himself in front of a large whitewashed patch of vertical rock on the road between the lower station and Cross Cove. The Keeper on Bull Rock read the message through a telescope and he in turn would semaphore to shore via Dursey Island.

For their help in rescuing two boatloads of survivors from the SS Marina early in November 1916, the three keepers were awarded £1 each from the Board of Trade and one guinea each from the owners of the Marina. During the 1939-45 war, an aircraft crashed, exploded and fell in flames into the sea off the north side of the rock on 27th February 1944. A search by Keepers and a British aircraft found neither survivors nor wreckage.

In 1950 Brendan was a senior Assistant Keeper on Skellig and at the time of the incident, acting Principal Keeper. The earth closet which was a small building close to and on the southside of the tower had become choked; Brendan had one of his bright ideas, he would clear it by detonating a number of fog signal charges buried in the choked drain. The end result was not as Brendan had envisaged but a cascade of slates from the closet roof plummeting 170 feet into Seal Cove below the tower. Brendan had to search the station for spare slates to repair the roof before the PK returned on the next relief day and also carry out what he had tried to avoid doing in the first place - shovel out the choked EC and, no doubt, wash down the besplattered walls!

STAR WARS -Shooting for Episode VII – The Force Awakens took place on Skellig Michael in September 2014 and Episode VIII a year later.