Keeping the light in the family
Having ready much recently, in Beam and elsewhere, about people closely connected with the Irish Lighthouse Service, I thought to myself: 'I have a unique relationship with Irish lighthouse keepers as I am at once the daughter, the wife, the sister, and the mother of Irish Lighthouse Keepers'.
My father Daniel O'Donovan began his Lighthouse Keeping at the Carlingford Bar Lighthouse (now known at Haulbowline) in Co Down; so did my husband Owen O'Sullivan. My brother Liam started out at Rathlin Island, and my son Stephen was appointed at Loophead, Co Clare.
Furthermore, my father was one of the workers in the building of the present Fastnet Rock Lighthouse, and my son was one of its last Keepers before it became automatic. Can anyone improve on my multifaceted relationship with Irish Lighthouse Keepers?
Anna P. O'Sullivan
Blackrock Mayo Lighthouse
My father, Paddy Keane, was a Lighthouse Keeper and told us stories of lighthouses all our lives. I am very interested in lighthouses as a result and enjoy reading Beam. I visited your Website during the Christmas holidays. The photography is beautiful. I was born in Blacksod, Co. Mayo and am delighted that Blackrock Mayo is being refurbished, as my father spent many years there when we were small children. Keep up the good work of keeping the memories of all involved in the lighthouses, and lightships alive, as they provided a valuable service far from their loved ones.
Agneta Murphy