WORK HAS CONTINUED ON THE restoration project throughout the year. The refurbishment has made substantial progress.

The house and corridor are now watertight. Some of the windows have been conserved. This work is remarkable, the windows now looking, very probably, just as they would have in 1816, when they were installed. The ladder shed has been re-roofed and looks just as it did all those years ago. Some work is still outstanding in some of the rooms and in the corridor, tower and lantern. Overall it presents as being the subject of care and attention to detail. The Galway Civic Trust can be justly proud of their achievements so far. We had twelve walks in total this year, commencing with an illustrated lecture on Irish lighthouses. The lecture was held, appropriately, in the Galway Atlantaquarium on the seafront. I am indebted to John Eagle for his wonderful photographs. His work was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Many friends, old and new, accompanied us on the walks. The Stockers represented by Cecilia and her husband Kevin Doyle; the Stapletons by Mabel Walsh whose grandfather was in Irish Lights afloat service; the Kennedys by Maria Gillen. A letter from Dominick Gaughan recalling his time there in 1941 was very welcome. Bernie McNamee wrote recalling the Crowleys one of whom, John, was born in 1871. I see from Maria Gillen's correspondence that there was a Thomas Sweeney at Mutton Island in 1899.

Our thanks and appreciation must go to Galway City Council's Heritage Officer, Jim Higgins, for his continuing dedication to the work in progress and to Michael Davis for his meticulous attention to detail. The workers, under Michael's supervision are doing a superb job. Our thanks also to the Civic Trust and Dello Collier for their dedication to the task in hand. John Eagle paid us a visit during the year and produced this photograph of the Tower. The background will prove nostalgic to those who served there.

May I, once again, appeal to anyone who served on Mutton Island or who had a relative who served there, to forward his name and dates of service to the following address-

Mr Jim Higgins,
City Heritage Officer,
City Hall,
College Road,
Galway.


This will enable us to complete the Roll of Honour of all those who served there. It will be displayed when the project is completed. We would appreciate your participation.

Bill Scanlan is a retired Lighthouse Keeper now living in Co. Galway.
He lived at Mutton Island Lighthouse as a boy when his father was Principal Keeper there.