Very soon after responsibility for providing the necessary lights and seamarks around the coast of Ireland was transferred to the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin-usually called the Ballast Board-in 1810, the Board decided to build six new lighthouses. One of these was to be on Tuskar Rock, a dangerous low-lying rock six nautical miles north-east of Carnsore Point on the south-east coast of Ireland.

In the summer of 1811 George Halpin, the Board's Inspector of Lighthouses, and three of the Board members carried out a survey of the rock. In October the Board approved drawings, submitted by Halpin, of a tower similar to the Poolbeg Lighthouse at the entrance to Dublin Port.

The Ballast Board's lighthouse functions were subject to the overview of Trinity House, the body responsible for lighthouses and beacons in England and Wales. Trinity House was not satisfied with Halpin's design for the Tuskar and provided drawings of their new South Stack Lighthouse near Holyhead, North Wales. The design eventually adopted, however, is similar to that of Bell Rock, off the east coast of Scotland.

The lighthouse was built by the Board's workforce under Halpin's supervision, and the light was exhibited for the first time on 4 June 1815. In his List of the Lighthouses on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, published for the use of mariners in 1831, Alan Stevenson described the light as follows-

'This light revolves, exhibiting from the same light-room two lights, like stars of the first magnitude, the one after the other, and then a light of a brilliant red colour; each of these three lights appearing at intervals of two minutes . . . . During foggy weather and snow showers, a bell is tolled night and day at intervals of half a minute.'

The bell was replaced in 1879 by an explosive fog signal fired every five minutes.

New Light

The Commissioners of Irish Lights were separated from the Ballast Board in 1867, becoming the statutory authority for marine aids to navigation in Ireland.

In 1885 the Commissioners undertook a major upgrade of the Tuskar light following a review of aids to navigation on the coast of Wexford. The work was directed by the Commissioners' Engineer-in-Chief, William Douglass. The original dome, lantern, and granite blocking were replaced with cast iron; and the original Argand oil lamps and parabolic reflectors were replaced with multiwick oil burners and a first order biform lens supplied by Edmundson's Ltd, the Dublin lighthouse equipment manufacturers.

While this work was going on Tuskar Rock was marked temporarily by a lightship. The new light was lit for the first time on 20 November 1885.

The multiwick burners were replaced by triple incandescent paraffin vapour burners in May 1910.

Electrification

Tuskar was the first Irish rock lighthouse to be converted to electric operation. Electricity was required for a radiobeacon which was planned, so it was logical to use the electricity for the light as well. The light was a 3000 Watt electric lamp and the Edmundson optic was replaced with a 500mm focal distance catadioptric annular lens having three faces of two panels each, revolving on a mercury float. This optic, which was supplied by Chance Brothers, is still in service. The electricity was provided by three National D.2 9½ horse-power diesel engines driving 80 volt direct current generators. The electric light and the radiobeacon commenced operation on 7 July 1938.

A Radiobeacon transmits a signal that is received by a ship's radio direction finder. The dial on the direction finder shows the bearing from the ship to the radiobeacon. For a ship to ascertain its position a bearing from at least one other radiobeacon is required, but for greater accuracy bearings from three or more beacons are preferable. At first the radiobeacon transmissions were switched on only during fog. During the second world war they were discontinued altogether. From 1953 the transmissions were continuous, the timing of the transmissions being sequenced with transmissions on the same frequency from five other radiobeacons, so that a ship's radio direction finder could easily receive five bearings one after the other without needing to retune the receiver.

Following a review of radio aids to navigation the sequencing of radiobeacon transmissions was discontinued from 1 April 1992. More recently, the use of radio direction finders by mariners has been superseded by modern technology and, following consultation with mariners' representatives, the Commissioners discontinued all of their medium frequency radiobeacons on 1 February 1999.

The original generators remained in service until 1963 when they were replaced by new diesel engines and 220 volt alternators.

In 1969 a Racon was installed at the station. When a Racon receives a pulse from a ship's radar scanner the Racon transmits a signal which appears as a distinctive Morse signature on the ship's radar screen.

The explosive fog signal was replaced in 1974 by a temporary low-powered diaphone and a new electric fog horn was permanently established in August 1978.

Automation

The work of automating Tuskar Rock Lighthouse began in mid 1992 and continued into the early part of 1993. The Chance Brothers lens was retained, rotated by a new gearless optic drive. The lamp was changed to a one kiloWatt metal halide lamp, with a lampchanger which automatically brings a spare lamp into service if the first lamp fails. In addition, two 300mm emergency lanterns with a range of 6 nautical miles were installed on the balcony railings, designed to switch on automatically should the main light fail.

Automatic control systems were installed for the light, to convert the fog signal, radiobeacon, and Racon to automatic operation, and to control the generator plant. Automatic fuel, fire protection, and security systems, and a remote control and monitoring system linking the station by uhf radio link to a base station at Rosslare, and from there to the central monitoring room at Dun Laoghaire, were also installed.

On completion of this work the Keepers were withdrawn and the lighthouse became unwatched on 31 March 1993. The station is now in the care of an Attendant and Assistant Attendant, and the aids to navigation are monitored by the Telemetry Systems Officers at the remote control and monitoring centre in the Lighthouse Depot, Dun Laoghaire.

The Editor is greatly indebted to retired colleague Michael Costelloe for much of the historial research in this article.

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During the first season of the building of the Tuskar Lighthouse, on the night of 18 October 1812, a sudden, severe storm hit the Wexford coast. In its wake it washed away all the building works and materials, drowning ten of the construction gang and leaving two crippled. Fourteen survived by clinging to the rocks or tying themselves to eye-bolts previously embedded into the rock for securing the huts or materials.

Through Mr W. Johnson of Wexford, Custom Officer, the Board gave immediate financial assistance to the survivors and dependants of those who perished. Subsequently the Board awarded each widow and destitute mother a pension of £6 per annum, each child £3 per annum until he or she reached the age of sixteen years, and those crippled £10 per annum. The other survivors were fully compensated for their ordeal and for the loss of clothing and tools. (£6 per annum would have been a good average industrial or service grade wage for the period.) On 22 August 1814 during the topping out of the structure at balcony level, John Brown, a stone mason, fell 72 feet to his death. As he had no dependant relatives the Board paid for his burial and wake.

There the matter lay until 1814 when Donough O'Brien, Secretary of the Audit Office, wrote to the Board:

I am directed by the Commissioners of Accounts to acquaint you that tho' fully impressed with the justice of the Claims of the Widows and Children of the Sufferers on the Tuscar [sic] upon the Public (the first quarter of whose Annuities appear in the Light House Account now under Examination) and tho' they are satisfied with the General Discretion of the Commissioners of the Ballast Office, yet they wish to be informed, under what Powers, by orders of Government, or by Law, the Commrs. of the Ballast Office feel themselves Authorised to grant Pensions out of their funds.

The auditors of the nineteenth century were equally as vigilant as those of today.

In reply, the Board put forward its case thus:

I am instructed to state to you for the information of the Commissioners of Accounts that the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin are not aware of any clauses in the Acts of Parliament that commit to their management the . . . care of the Lighthouses on the Coast of Ireland, that expressively enacts or forbids them by some pecuniary consideration alleviating the distress and misfortunes of those who have lost their lives in the Public Works that are under their care, but they conceive that when they had unsolicited been required by the highest authority in the Country to undertake this laborious task, a discretion was left to them to discharge it to the best of their Judgement and Abilities in the manner most likely to accomplish the objectives entrusted to their care.

From the nature of the Works carrying on by them, the various classes of Workmen and Mariners employed are peculiarly subject to accidents, loss of health and even life, which from motives of humanity they feel themselves induced to afford relief, but their conduct has been more influenced by what they consider the most certain and in the end most aconimical [sic] manner of completing the several objects of their incorporation, and experience has convinced them that by certain and regular payments of those in their employ and by their having a confident expectation that in cases of unavoidable Misfortune or Loss of Health in the service of the Corporation their distress will meet alleviation, they find that they undertake services and discharge them with diligence and alacrity, that would not otherwise be the case, and that they have the choice of Workmen at prices so much under the run of the general employers in Dublin. The principal of awarding pensions was finally established when the Commissioners of Public Accounts issued their report in March 1814:

The Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin having by the Act of 50th Geo 3 the care of Erecting, Repairing and Maintaining the Lighthouses round the Coast of Ireland, Appear to us to execute these new duties as well and with the same fidelity and attention which has given so much satisfaction in the other public works entrusted to their care. . . .

Small Pensions to the Widows and Orphans of persons who perished in the service of the Corporation on the Tusker [sic] Rock, appear on the face of this account. These Grants the Corporation conceive themselves entitled to make in consequence of the General discretion given to them. We have disallowed a few small sums in all Three pounds fifteen shillings and two pence principally errors in castings [sic] and calculation. The Account as corrected by us is just and true & sufficiently stated and vouched.

Frank Pelly
©2001



In 1821 smugglers running contraband goods from Le Havre to Wexford landed a cargo of brandy and other dutiable goods on Tuskar Rock in order to avoid detection by coastguards, promising the Keepers a 'present' when they returned for their cargo. They then sailed their cutter, the Shark, into Wexford where the vessel was searched by coastguard and customs officers who found nothing.

The smugglers returned to the Tuskar around sunset a few days later. They found the light unlit and the two Keepers dead drunk. Leaving the Keepers to their slumbers the smugglers retrieved their cargo and landed it on the mainland undetected by the coastguards who had abandoned their watch because the night was so wild and wet. The failure of the Keepers to light the light did not go undetected however. Among the ships looking out for the Tuskar light was the Royal Yacht, on its way to Dun Laoghaire with King George IV on board; as they could not find the Tuskar light they went into Milford Haven guided by the Smalls Lighthouse.

An inquiry led to the dismissal of the coastguards for not keeping a better lookout. Principal Keeper Michael Wisheart was demoted to Assistant Keeper and transferred to Skelligs where he was later killed in a fall. Assistant Keeper Charles Hunter was reverted to his previous employment as a blacksmith in Dublin Port.

The Editor
(based on contemporary reports)



Shore dwellings for the Tuskar Lightkeepers and their families were built in 1817 at Ballyhire, half way between Greenore Point and Carnsore Point. On 28 March 1832 the Inspector of Lighthouses, George Halpin, visited Tuskar Lighthouse to investigate charges of embezzling oil and other lighthouse stores brought against William Richardson, Principal Keeper, and James Dowling, Assistant Keeper, by the other Assistant Keepers, John Hatton and Henry Browne.

A special meeting of the Board to consider these charges was held on 12 June 1832 and the outcome was the dismissal of the two accused Keepers, the charges 'having been proved after a very minute investigation'.

Two days later at their regular meeting the Board considered a report from Inspector George Halpin referring to the residences 'built for the convenience of the Light Keepers and their families' at Ballyhire, stating:

this indulgence they have generally abused by living in a state of great dissention to the annoyance of the neighbourhood and the disgrace of the establishment occasionally bringing persons from the shore and leaving them though unfit in discharge of the Light House duty while the Keepers were on shore thus endangering the many valuable lives and immense property depending on the maintenance of the Light at this important station . . . .

Halpin recommended disposing of the houses at Ballyhire, observing that

the Light Keepers being constantly on the Rock will be effectually prevented from idling on shore and forming improper acquaintences [sic] in the country: the duty of the Light House will be properly attended to, and the means and temptation to make improper use of the stores will be much diminished.

The Board ordered the houses to be advertised for sale. Thereafter the families were obliged to live on the rock with the Keepers. It seems unfair that the families were punished for the Keepers' misdemeanours. To ameliorate this to some extent, and in view of the cramped conditions on the rock, the Board endeavoured to station Keepers with small families, or without families, on the Tuskar. The accommodation at the base of the tower was extended in 1856-7 and again in 1865. A second floor was built onto the workmen's quarters at the end of the 1950s. In 1886 it was decided to build new dwellings at Rosslare. The Keepers and their families moved into these houses in 1890. Economic and social circumstances change and by the mid-twentieth century most Keepers preferred to buy or rent their own houses. This led in 1973 to the Commissioners selling the Tuskar Shore Dwellings to the Railway Hotel Co.

The Editor
(with research by Frank Pelly)



During wartime small rocks like Tuskar were vulnerable to drifting mines. On 2 December 1941 a mine which had parted from its moorings exploded when it struck the Tuskar, injuring two Assistant Keepers, William J. Cahill and Patrick Scanlan. Both were brought ashore by Rosslare Lifeboat but unfortunately Patrick Scanlan died the next day.

Michael Costelloe