by Sr. Maureen O’Sullivan rsm        Ireland                          18.09.2024

My father was a fourth-generation lighthouse keeper. His father was drowned off the Bull Rock in Cork but all his sons joined the Irish Lights. I suppose I should describe the job as modern people know very little about it except through RTE’s Great Lighthouses of Ireland.

The Commissioners of Irish Lights are responsible for the 80 lighthouses around our coast which were originally built to aid ships travelling on dangerous waters. All are now automated. The last flag was taken down from the Baily by my cousin in 1997.

Light keeping was not for the fainthearted. Two or three men would take turns on watch day and night. They were away from their families for three, four or six weeks at a time and home for one or two weeks depending on the place of the lighthouse. They also operated the fog signal when necessary.
What work did they do? They carried out cleaning, polishing and maintenance work. The brasses had to be cleaned every day and a log written up. Tinned and dried food was heavily relied on but some Rocks had goats and hens. Bread was made with water so many lightkeepers today don’t eat home made bread! They missed Christmas, First Communions and Confirmations which was difficult for the children. In our childhood Santa Claus often broke his leg and couldn’t visit till January!

My parents met in Valentia, my mother’s home place, and Dad was on the Skelligs. Their first station was on the Aran Islands for three years and my mother found it very lonely as most of the neighbours spoke only Irish! Then they came south to Roches Point in Cork where I was born. A year later they were changed to Blackhead, Co Antrim and my sister Margaret was born there. She always jokes about having a crown on her birth cert! Needless to say I don’t remember those places but we all lived in the lighthouses in both places.  Next move was back to the Skelligs and Valentia. I was now three and a half and began school to make up numbers. My sister, Davidine, and brother, Owen, were born there.

When I was in First Class we moved to Ballycotton, a lovely fishing village in east Cork. I made my First Communion there. Mam had learnt to semaphore which is a form of alphabet signalling based on waving handheld flags in a particular pattern to compose messages. She would go to a place where the lighthouse was visible and tell Dad all the news. He stood in his navy uniform in front of a white wall and looked through the telescope. There was a lot going on in Ballycotton. The wife of the school Principal taught us dancing and we took part in many concerts and plays.

Our next move was to Skerries, Co Dublin when I was in 3rd class. It’s a lovely seaside town, noted for sailing. My sister, Eileen, was born there. We had electricity at last! Our Gran was living with us for a few years but she died there and was buried in Valentia.
The next most memorable move was to Clare Island in Mayo. Here we lived at the lighthouse, three miles from the pier and “village” which had one shop! But it was great that Dad was home all the time. We had three miles to walk to school and four to Mass…and not the best of roads! But we loved it. On our first day, having come from Dublin, we wore sandals and socks while all 16 pupils were in their bare feet! So, we did the same and were accepted straight away. The saying I won’t forget is ” The new lightkeepers are very natural!” They were delighted with three extra pupils but it was a school with a difference. The teacher was untrained. She used to get the classes to teach each other! We were sent out to gather firewood during school hours and never returned till three o’clock! Powdered drinking chocolate was provided and the 6th class made cocoa for all the others. If someone local was going to America all the pupils were marched to the pier to say goodbye. These were sad days.

We lived on the top of a cliff and were warned not to go near the back of the house. There was another keeper beside us but they had no children, so we had to amuse ourselves. The neighbours who were all over a mile away would visit us at 11 at night! They always brought potatoes or vegetables or even a live chicken! In return Dad would charge their radio batteries with a wind charger he had built.

We were only a few days there when the priest arrived to say there was Confirmation in Louisburgh in three days’ time and I should be taken out as I might miss it when next it was held on the island. No catechism! No shoes! I had my Communion veil and a good dress so we set off by boat and were advised to call to the Durkan family. I was 10 years old so Teresita, niece of the owner, was there and took me to the Mercy Convent while Mam went to Westport for white shoes. Teresita later became President of Carysfort College.
We spent three wonderful years on Clare Island riding horses and donkeys, saving hay, going to the bog, fishing. We were always invited to the Stations on the way home from school to houses where Mass was said that day. Best of all, the last baby, Barry, was born there and we argued as to whether it was the postman or the man with provisions who had brought him! So now we had a child from each Province. My mother was always very proud of that. When leaving the island all the locals came to see us off, many in tears. They were such kind, gentle, welcoming people.

Back to Ballycotton then and I had to repeat 6th class before going to Secondary in Presentation, Midleton. We learnt piano, dancing, choral singing and elocution…great variety for a small village. I went to Midleton on the bus – the only one from the village going to Secondary at the time. The following year Margaret and another girl joined me. When I was in the middle of Inter Cert we were changed to Castletownbere, my seventh school! Everything was done through Irish so that was a big change. I told my mother I wouldn’t make any friends there as I had to leave them all in a short time…but of course I did and two of them Carmel Downing and Teresa Harrington are living close to me now. We all entered together in Castletownbere which was another lovely place. The family moved back to Skerries after eight years in Beara and my father retired there.

When I entered, I thought no more moving! But after UCC and teaching a few years, I was asked to go to Moyderwell in Tralee where I spent many happy years teaching. Then the two Mercy schools amalgamated, and I was changed to Mercy Mounthawk. I now live in an estate near the school with Sr. Bernadette.

I had an unusual childhood but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I wonder what the next move will be…!!

Editor’s Note:  Sr. Maureen O’Sullivan rsm is from the Southern Province.  This article is re-published with permission.