Letters to the Editor
Sinon Griffin,
Osprey & Shannon Heather
It is with much enjoyment that I read each year's Beam magazine, but in the 2000-1 edition I came across some information related to my late father Sinon (Siney) Griffin, Master of the South Rock Lightvessel, and I would like to share it with you.
On reading the article about George Philip & Son, shipbuilders, I was amazed to see they had built both the Osprey Lightvessel and the Shannon Heather for Shannon Car Ferries in Co. Clare. My dad had served as Master of the Osprey on the South Rock station while in your employment, and when he left Irish Lights in 1974 it was to take up the position of Captain of the Shannon Heather, where he remained until his death in 1987; so your story revealed some information for us we did not already know.
The Griffin name is very prominent in shipping in Co. Clare, and my dad's love of all things maritime instilled in all our family a great love of the sea and respect for you at Irish Lights. May you continue to prosper, and lead all ships to safety and seamen home to their families.
The Granuaile looks to be a fine ship, I wish God's speed to all who sail in her. I only wish Siney was here to see the fine advancements Irish Lights have made.
Once again, thank you for all the lovely memories Beam brings to us. I hope you enjoy reading the enclosed copy of one of my dad's grocery lists for his month's stay on board the lightship.
Sinead Griffin
Paddy Byrne &
St John's Point, Donegal
Many thanks for mailing me some back issues of Beam which I received today. I have just started to read them and I find them very interesting indeed. My brother will be as interested as I am. He lives in Dubai and is due back to Ireland in the next week or so. We both have some interesting stories about our lives in St John's Point, Donegal and very fond memories of living there.
My late father Patrick, or Paddy Byrne as he was known, was the Lighthouse Attendant Keeper in St John's Point, Dunkineely, Co. Donegal for 50 years until his death on 26 December 1980. My late mother held the job until the following August 1981 when she finally had to leave and move on.
We all enjoyed our family life there and I have fond memories of my time in the lighthouse even though it was very isolated, but beautiful in other ways. The nearest house was about two miles from us.
It was fun living in the lighthouse as we met some interesting characters, let it have been people visiting the place or just walking about having a look. Both my brother and myself would take it in turns to show visitors up to the lighthouse and would be rewarded in kind afterwards.
I will always remember the coming of the Commissioners' Inspecting Committee each year-it was all hands on deck to get the work done. This meant whitewashing, which my brother did very well, and myself cleaning, scrubbing down the lantern steps, and all the other chores that were asked of us to do by the man himself, my late father, Paddy.
Some of the Officials have passed away, but I do remember Capt. Ball, Capt. Greenlee, Mr Martin, and Mr Adams with great affection indeed. These men would greet us with a warm handshake and show how pleased they were with the way in which my father kept the place spick and span all the time.
Our door was always open to anyone and the key left in it at all times.
My mother was kept busy making home-made bread and butter for all the workmen that would come to help out, and the smell coming from the kitchen was just something else. She was a grand hand at doing both of them.
Winter was always very lonely and it brought its own tragedies, also, with the storms that would lash the rocks and the gale force wind howling-not funny when one was so scared of it.
Memories of St John's Point will live with me forever.
Mary Conway
Personal Memories of Isolda
The following letter was received too late for publication in Beam 2000-1.
Thank you for sending me Beam again last year. News of the Irish Lights, both ancient and modern, is of great interest to me. I am particularly pleased to see that Isolda is still remembered. This is the 60th anniversary of her sinking.
I always remember 19 December 1940. I expect because it is one of the worst days of my life, as that was the day we thought my father had drowned.
On the afternoon of 19 December 1940, my uncle called to tell my mother he had heard Isolda had been bombed and sunk off the Saltee Islands. My father was second engineer.
My mother immediately phoned the Irish Lights Office, then in D'Olier Street. She was informed that Isolda had been sunk off the Saltee Islands, but details were not yet known. There had been some fatalities but the names were not known. The survivors had been landed at Kilmore Quay and would be arriving in Dun Laoghaire on the Wexford mail train that evening.
My mother and I waited at Dun Laoghaire Railway Station and saw the survivors coming off the train looking shaken by their awful experience. My father was not with them. One of the deck boys, Sammie Williams, who knew us, told us my father had been badly wounded and that he and the Chief Engineer Mr Scott-Whyte, were in hospital in Wexford.
The office arranged for my mother and Mrs Scott-Whyte to be driven to the hospital to see them, and found them in a sorry state. After several days my father and the Chief were taken by ambulance to Mercer's Hospital in Dublin, where my father had many operations to remove shrapnel and slivers of wood and was unable to return to sea for many months.
While staying in the Commodore Hotel in Cobh this year I was interested in the many paintings of ships around the hotel. One of the walls in the bar was full of photos of navy ships. One stood out as it looked so different; she had an Irish Lights look about her. The barman told me she was the Setanta, formerly Isolda, sold by Irish Lights to the Naval Service as a training ship. I didn't know there had been a second Isolda.
I haven't yet seen Granuaile. She was not in Dun Laoghaire when I was there during the summer and I didn't see her sailing past Islandmagee either. I don't know any of the crew now, but I always give the Irish Lights a wave of the tea towel as they sail by Portmuck-old habits die hard!
I wish you all, ashore and afloat, a very happy Christmas and New Year.
Maureen Templeton
Ship's Plans
As a hobby for over the past twenty years I have been drawing authentic model ship and boat plans, published in Marine Modelling International, Model Boats, and Model Shipwright magazines. Many of these have been built by modellers all over the world.
I am proposing to draw a set of plans of the Granuaile, built by Ferguson Bros. at Port Glasgow in 1970. I have copies of plans of the ship, but am looking for any photos taken on board illustrating deck fittings or other views whilst the vessel was in service.
Any anecdotes or stories by former serving members would be of great assistance in completing the model plan project. All loaned material would be copied and returned.
Enclosed is a copy of a photo taken off Marchwood in Southampton a few years ago of what I believe to be the former Atlanta, built in 1959.
I can be contacted at japwait@waitrose.com or 1 Jesmond Circle, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, AB22 8WX, Scotland.
James A. Pottinger
Service Medals
I have been collecting medals awarded to lighthouse servicemen ever since I came into possession of a medal my great-great uncle received. He served on board the lightship Nantucket. From research I have done it seems Irish Lights awards two medals to its service people-one with a green ribbon, the other with a blue, white, and green ribbon. If any of your readers is in possession of either of these medals, I would be appreciative of hearing from them for the purpose of acquiring them. You may contact me at vroberts@mail1.nai.net or 152 White Avenue, Middlebur, Ct. 06762, USA.
Henry Roberts
Thanks
Thank you for your journal Beam, received today. I work as an operator in the vts station of Warnemünde Traffic, in the Baltic Sea, and would like to receive your interesting journal the next time again.
Thank you and all the best.
With kind regards.
Manfred Weiss
Irish Lights Vessels
After visiting the new Granuaile at Derry in April 2001, my thoughts prompted me to write this letter.
It is more than forty years since the wooden bridge on the Isolda to the almost space age bridge on the new Granuaile. I was so thrilled to receive an invitation from Captain George Ball to come on board. My thanks to him and the Commissioners of Irish Lights for a very informative visit.
I have been photographing shipping at Derry Port for fifty years, and on checking Irish Lights vessels discovered a total of six, comprising Isolda, Atlanta, Gray Seal, and three Granuailes. I enclose some pictures from my collection of these vessels at the old Port of Derry.
R. A. Armstrong
Foyle and Bann Shipping Association
Osprey & Shannon Heather
It is with much enjoyment that I read each year's Beam magazine, but in the 2000-1 edition I came across some information related to my late father Sinon (Siney) Griffin, Master of the South Rock Lightvessel, and I would like to share it with you.
On reading the article about George Philip & Son, shipbuilders, I was amazed to see they had built both the Osprey Lightvessel and the Shannon Heather for Shannon Car Ferries in Co. Clare. My dad had served as Master of the Osprey on the South Rock station while in your employment, and when he left Irish Lights in 1974 it was to take up the position of Captain of the Shannon Heather, where he remained until his death in 1987; so your story revealed some information for us we did not already know.
The Griffin name is very prominent in shipping in Co. Clare, and my dad's love of all things maritime instilled in all our family a great love of the sea and respect for you at Irish Lights. May you continue to prosper, and lead all ships to safety and seamen home to their families.
The Granuaile looks to be a fine ship, I wish God's speed to all who sail in her. I only wish Siney was here to see the fine advancements Irish Lights have made.
Once again, thank you for all the lovely memories Beam brings to us. I hope you enjoy reading the enclosed copy of one of my dad's grocery lists for his month's stay on board the lightship.
Sinead Griffin
Paddy Byrne &
St John's Point, Donegal
Many thanks for mailing me some back issues of Beam which I received today. I have just started to read them and I find them very interesting indeed. My brother will be as interested as I am. He lives in Dubai and is due back to Ireland in the next week or so. We both have some interesting stories about our lives in St John's Point, Donegal and very fond memories of living there.
My late father Patrick, or Paddy Byrne as he was known, was the Lighthouse Attendant Keeper in St John's Point, Dunkineely, Co. Donegal for 50 years until his death on 26 December 1980. My late mother held the job until the following August 1981 when she finally had to leave and move on.
We all enjoyed our family life there and I have fond memories of my time in the lighthouse even though it was very isolated, but beautiful in other ways. The nearest house was about two miles from us.
It was fun living in the lighthouse as we met some interesting characters, let it have been people visiting the place or just walking about having a look. Both my brother and myself would take it in turns to show visitors up to the lighthouse and would be rewarded in kind afterwards.
I will always remember the coming of the Commissioners' Inspecting Committee each year-it was all hands on deck to get the work done. This meant whitewashing, which my brother did very well, and myself cleaning, scrubbing down the lantern steps, and all the other chores that were asked of us to do by the man himself, my late father, Paddy.
Some of the Officials have passed away, but I do remember Capt. Ball, Capt. Greenlee, Mr Martin, and Mr Adams with great affection indeed. These men would greet us with a warm handshake and show how pleased they were with the way in which my father kept the place spick and span all the time.
Our door was always open to anyone and the key left in it at all times.
My mother was kept busy making home-made bread and butter for all the workmen that would come to help out, and the smell coming from the kitchen was just something else. She was a grand hand at doing both of them.
Winter was always very lonely and it brought its own tragedies, also, with the storms that would lash the rocks and the gale force wind howling-not funny when one was so scared of it.
Memories of St John's Point will live with me forever.
Mary Conway
Personal Memories of Isolda
The following letter was received too late for publication in Beam 2000-1.
Thank you for sending me Beam again last year. News of the Irish Lights, both ancient and modern, is of great interest to me. I am particularly pleased to see that Isolda is still remembered. This is the 60th anniversary of her sinking.
I always remember 19 December 1940. I expect because it is one of the worst days of my life, as that was the day we thought my father had drowned.
On the afternoon of 19 December 1940, my uncle called to tell my mother he had heard Isolda had been bombed and sunk off the Saltee Islands. My father was second engineer.
My mother immediately phoned the Irish Lights Office, then in D'Olier Street. She was informed that Isolda had been sunk off the Saltee Islands, but details were not yet known. There had been some fatalities but the names were not known. The survivors had been landed at Kilmore Quay and would be arriving in Dun Laoghaire on the Wexford mail train that evening.
My mother and I waited at Dun Laoghaire Railway Station and saw the survivors coming off the train looking shaken by their awful experience. My father was not with them. One of the deck boys, Sammie Williams, who knew us, told us my father had been badly wounded and that he and the Chief Engineer Mr Scott-Whyte, were in hospital in Wexford.
The office arranged for my mother and Mrs Scott-Whyte to be driven to the hospital to see them, and found them in a sorry state. After several days my father and the Chief were taken by ambulance to Mercer's Hospital in Dublin, where my father had many operations to remove shrapnel and slivers of wood and was unable to return to sea for many months.
While staying in the Commodore Hotel in Cobh this year I was interested in the many paintings of ships around the hotel. One of the walls in the bar was full of photos of navy ships. One stood out as it looked so different; she had an Irish Lights look about her. The barman told me she was the Setanta, formerly Isolda, sold by Irish Lights to the Naval Service as a training ship. I didn't know there had been a second Isolda.
I haven't yet seen Granuaile. She was not in Dun Laoghaire when I was there during the summer and I didn't see her sailing past Islandmagee either. I don't know any of the crew now, but I always give the Irish Lights a wave of the tea towel as they sail by Portmuck-old habits die hard!
I wish you all, ashore and afloat, a very happy Christmas and New Year.
Maureen Templeton
Ship's Plans
As a hobby for over the past twenty years I have been drawing authentic model ship and boat plans, published in Marine Modelling International, Model Boats, and Model Shipwright magazines. Many of these have been built by modellers all over the world.
I am proposing to draw a set of plans of the Granuaile, built by Ferguson Bros. at Port Glasgow in 1970. I have copies of plans of the ship, but am looking for any photos taken on board illustrating deck fittings or other views whilst the vessel was in service.
Any anecdotes or stories by former serving members would be of great assistance in completing the model plan project. All loaned material would be copied and returned.
Enclosed is a copy of a photo taken off Marchwood in Southampton a few years ago of what I believe to be the former Atlanta, built in 1959.
I can be contacted at japwait@waitrose.com or 1 Jesmond Circle, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, AB22 8WX, Scotland.
James A. Pottinger
Service Medals
I have been collecting medals awarded to lighthouse servicemen ever since I came into possession of a medal my great-great uncle received. He served on board the lightship Nantucket. From research I have done it seems Irish Lights awards two medals to its service people-one with a green ribbon, the other with a blue, white, and green ribbon. If any of your readers is in possession of either of these medals, I would be appreciative of hearing from them for the purpose of acquiring them. You may contact me at vroberts@mail1.nai.net or 152 White Avenue, Middlebur, Ct. 06762, USA.
Henry Roberts
Thanks
Thank you for your journal Beam, received today. I work as an operator in the vts station of Warnemünde Traffic, in the Baltic Sea, and would like to receive your interesting journal the next time again.
Thank you and all the best.
With kind regards.
Manfred Weiss
Irish Lights Vessels
After visiting the new Granuaile at Derry in April 2001, my thoughts prompted me to write this letter.
It is more than forty years since the wooden bridge on the Isolda to the almost space age bridge on the new Granuaile. I was so thrilled to receive an invitation from Captain George Ball to come on board. My thanks to him and the Commissioners of Irish Lights for a very informative visit.
I have been photographing shipping at Derry Port for fifty years, and on checking Irish Lights vessels discovered a total of six, comprising Isolda, Atlanta, Gray Seal, and three Granuailes. I enclose some pictures from my collection of these vessels at the old Port of Derry.
R. A. Armstrong
Foyle and Bann Shipping Association