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Papers: List of Papers 2002-05 |
Church Street, Skerries . P. Flavin |
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Rockabill, an Irish Lighthouse
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Rockabill was the topic for the June meeting of Skerries Historical Society in the Bus Bar. Joe Clinton spoke on Rockabill, an Irish Lighthouse. Seán Pierce's talk was entitled Rockabill, Aspects of its Natural History, 1800 to 2005. The meeting attracted a very large attendance reflecting the great local appeal of the subject. Many families of lighthouse keepers were represented including Joe Stapleton, a lighthouse keeper in the late seventies. Joe said in his paper that early on Rockabill was known as the Cow and Calf because of the two islands. Ever since man ventured offshore light was used to guide seafarers. The local part of the east coast had been serviced by the lighthouse at Balbriggan since 1769. Pressure to build a lighthouse on Rockabill was growing but was resisted for decades. It was becoming more necessary because of increased economic activity along the east coast and Rockabill and its granite was considered to be a severe danger to boats. Also the sinking of the Tayleur, a large passenger ship bound for Australia, with the loss of 290 lives at Lambay Island, hastened the project. It is now 150 years since they started to build the lighthouse and it took five years to complete the work. Light shone from Rockabill for the first time on July 1st 1860. Granite from the Mourne Mountains and limestone from nearby Milverton Quarry were used in the building. The paper, as well as detailing the dimensions of the lighthouse and its buildings, also charted the various improvements in the equipment used over time. Also the duties of the lighthouse keepers who had a lonely life especially in the dark winter months were well covered. The surfacing for repairs of German U-Boat during the first World was mentioned as was the blackout during the Second World War because of the very real treat to shipping travelling the east coast and in and out of Dublin Port. |
A fire in 1973 resulted in considerable damage to the building. The light was automated in 1989 and its equipment is monitored from headquarters in Dun Laoire and serviced by helicopter fortnightly. It is administered by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and funding for the Irish lighthouse service comes from tolls on shipping and through a substantial state grant. Seán Pierce in his well illustrated paper charted the wild life on Rockabill since the early 1800s. The Rock has been associated with a large number of bird species over time but is now synonymous with the tern - the Common Tern and the Roseate Tern in particular. Terns were recorded there in 1837. William Thompson writing in the Natural History of Ireland stated the Roseate tern was observed breeding there that year. Some time later Rockabill was acknowledged as the principal breeding place of the tern along the east coast. However in the mid 1850's some of the tern feathers were used to decorate hats. This resulted in severe carnage. Later in 1880 lighthouse keepers were involved in monitoring the migratory habits of birds. Rockabill light house keepers were involved in the project which lasted for decades. Rockabill today is the most important breeding ground for Roseate Terns in north-west Europe. The Roseate tern is the rarest breeding seabird in Northern Europe. Numbers have increased steadily over the past 15 years and have hastened since the introduction of bird boxes - a project undertaken by students of Balbriggan Community College where Mr. Pierce is a teacher. The Lighthouse and its buildings are now listed Buildings. It is also a designated a Special Protection Area and Refuge for Fauna and holds a regionally important colony of Black Guillemot.
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