Fastnet Lighthouse proves much more than yachtsman’s mecca

THE Fastnet Lighthouse conjures up different images for different people.

For some it’s the 1979 yachting disaster in which 15 sailors lost their lives in one of the world’s classic ocean races from the south coast of England, the 608-mile Fastnet Race.

But despite the disaster the lonely sentinel that stands guard off Ireland’s south-west coast is still a yachtsman’s mecca. Thousands pay homage every year and the loom of its light is a sight for seafarers’ eyes.

For others the Fastnet Lighthouse is a great feat of engineering and construction. The isolated tower perched on a rock near Ireland’s most southerly point, Mizen Head, has many moods and a long interesting history. All these are captured in a beautiful new book compiled by James Morrissey, a director of public relations firm Fleishman-Hilliard Saunders in Dublin and published by Crannog Books.

It’s a timely publication, not only for the Christmas gift market, but also because the question mark hanging over the useful purpose of lighthouses in this technological age. With the advent of GPS (Global Positioning System) there are some who argue that lighthouses are no longer needed and will soon be a thing of the past. That debate, however, has just started and has some considerable time to run.

George Bernard Shaw said: “I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve. They weren’t built for any other purpose.”

Designed by William Douglass, the Fastnet Lighthouse is an exceptional feat of design, engineering and construction. For 100 years it has withstood the savage storms thrown up by the Atlantic Ocean.

Its predecessor, a cast iron tower built in the 1850s was not so fortunate. Undermined by the heavy seas it was deemed structurally unsound and was replaced after just 50 years.

In 1904, after four years of construction the current lighthouse was commissioned. Its design and construction is a monument to the perseverance of the men who built it.

The book, A History of the Fastnet Lighthouse, provides a detailed account in words and pictures of how this architectural gem was constructed in one of the most hazardous sites in Europe and under the most perilous conditions. It also recounts lighthouse life from several perspectives. And it tells of the wonderful courage and spirit of those who have dedicated their lives to the protection of seafarers down the decades.

Priced at €28 the book is a buy for any one interested in the sea, architecture or history.