A Visit to Donaghadee Lighthouse
A special visit to Donaghadee Lighthouse was arranged for
pupils of Fleming Fulton School, Belfast, in March 1996. Fleming
Fulton provides education, care, therapy, and medical services for
children and young people with physical disabilities. June Barnes,
P2 form teacher, describes the visit.
For the Spring 1996 term our project was based on a story called The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch. To round off the project I thought it would be a special thrill for the children to see inside a real lighthouse.
I wondered how to go about this and decided to ring the Coastguard in Bangor. The Coastguard told me that because of automation the general public were not normally allowed inside lighthouses, and that lighthouses in Ireland were controlled by the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dublin. The Coastguard gave me their telephone number and I decided to try my luck. To our absolute delight we were given special permission to be allowed inside Donaghadee Lighthouse. The children were thrilled and the trip was planned for Monday 18th March.
I then rang Mrs James, the Lighthouse Attendant in Donaghadee to let her hear our news.
To check that it would be safe for the children my husband and I arranged to meet Mrs James the week before and to see inside ourselves.
The special day came and the children were really excited. It was a windy day but fortunately we were able to get our buses right to the door.
Mrs James was waiting for us. It was so windy that Mrs James had to time the waves so we could all get inside without getting soaked! Once inside with all my helpers we took the children, two at a time, each well protected by an adult, up the 59 steps. The little ones who are in wheelchairs were carried up by our two drivers.
At the top, the children could see the huge light and large bulbs.
Mrs James talked to them about how it worked and explained that lighthouses are now automatic and no longer have Lighthouse Keepers like the one in the story.
After seeing the view from the top it was time to climb back down again.
The children had had a real experience and a very special one. I would again like to thank the Commissioners of Irish Lights for granting us permission to go inside the lighthouse and to Mrs James for being such a wonderful guide.
For the Spring 1996 term our project was based on a story called The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch. To round off the project I thought it would be a special thrill for the children to see inside a real lighthouse.
I wondered how to go about this and decided to ring the Coastguard in Bangor. The Coastguard told me that because of automation the general public were not normally allowed inside lighthouses, and that lighthouses in Ireland were controlled by the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dublin. The Coastguard gave me their telephone number and I decided to try my luck. To our absolute delight we were given special permission to be allowed inside Donaghadee Lighthouse. The children were thrilled and the trip was planned for Monday 18th March.
I then rang Mrs James, the Lighthouse Attendant in Donaghadee to let her hear our news.
To check that it would be safe for the children my husband and I arranged to meet Mrs James the week before and to see inside ourselves.
The special day came and the children were really excited. It was a windy day but fortunately we were able to get our buses right to the door.
Mrs James was waiting for us. It was so windy that Mrs James had to time the waves so we could all get inside without getting soaked! Once inside with all my helpers we took the children, two at a time, each well protected by an adult, up the 59 steps. The little ones who are in wheelchairs were carried up by our two drivers.
At the top, the children could see the huge light and large bulbs.
Mrs James talked to them about how it worked and explained that lighthouses are now automatic and no longer have Lighthouse Keepers like the one in the story.
After seeing the view from the top it was time to climb back down again.
The children had had a real experience and a very special one. I would again like to thank the Commissioners of Irish Lights for granting us permission to go inside the lighthouse and to Mrs James for being such a wonderful guide.