Fastnet Lighthouse

Fastnet Lighthouse is around four and a half miles southwest of Cape Clear Island. Often referred to as the Teardrop of Ireland, it is the last landfall light for transatlantic voyages.  It is also the tallest and widest rock lighthouse tower in Ireland and Great Britain.

Fastnet Rock is a jagged clay-slate rock surrounded by deep waters and powerful, dangerous currents. It is also notorious for the fog that frequently surrounds it.

First Fastnet Lighthouse

There had been many shipwrecks before the mid-1850s.  But on 15th November 1847, the worst tragedy to date occurred. The American liner Stephen Whitney foundered on West Calf Island between Schull and Cape Clear Island.  Over 90 of the 100 on board died, including the Master and Second Mate. Following the fate of this vessel, pressure mounted for the rock to be lit.

There was already a lighthouse on Cape Clear Island. However, due to its elevation, it was often obscured by fog, and it is thought that this is why Stephen Whitney came to grief. Missing the Cape Clear Lighthouse, the officer on watch mistook the Rock Island (Crookhaven) Lighthouse for the Old Head of Kinsale. He then incorrectly set his course for Cork, thus coming to grief nearby.

George Halpin was commissioned to design the tower. It was agreed that a cast-iron tower would be built on the rock, 63 feet high, with its lantern increasing its height to 91 feet and 133 feet above sea level.  The tower was bolted to the rock and filled with rubble within its base. 

Work started in 1849, and building conditions were challenging, so the workmen built wooden barracks on the rock.  The first lighthouse was finally completed in 1853.

The lighthouse was first exhibited on 1st January 1854, using an oil burner. Oil tanks were stored on the second floor, and the keepers lived in an iron barrack on the northeastern side of the rock.  Three dwellings were also built at Crookhaven Lighthouse for the lighthouse families.

Landing on the rock by boat was extremely difficult, and a derrick mast, jib and hand winch were built to land the keepers and provisions.

Halpin’s Lighthouse, as it was known, remained intact for around ten years. However, during heavy seas, the tower became unstable.

Halpin died shortly after the light was established, so C P Cotton, Engineer to the Port of Dublin, was sent to check out what repairs and modifications were needed. George Stevenson, Engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, visited with him in 1865 to survey the tower. As they disagreed on the best course of action, the following year, Trinity House Engineer James Douglass visited Fastnet Rock.

Douglass made his recommendations, and as a result, the tower was strengthened. The upper part was fitted with bedrooms for the keepers, as their current barracks were unsuitable by now.

The lighthouse continued to operate relatively unscathed for the following 14 years.  But on 26th November 1881, a hurricane hit the rock, smashing the lantern and damaging the lens. During this same storm, a similar cast-iron tower on Calf Rock was swept away by heavy seas, breaking off above its base. The keepers at Calf Rock were unharmed, but doubts were then raised about Fastnet Lighthouse.  However, it would take a further ten years before anything further would happen.

Second Fastnet Lighthouse

By the end of the 19th century, the ports of Cork and Cobh were flourishing, and the Fastnet Light was increasing in importance. In 1891, Irish Lights decided that the current lighthouse needed improvement and recommended the construction of a new tower.

William Douglass was appointed as the new designer, but progress was slow. A work site was established at Rock Island to prepare the granite blocks. Wharves, workshops, and quarters for the workmen involved in its construction were built. A specially designed steamer, Ierne, was built to transport the stone and materials to the rock.

The lighthouse, built of Cornish granite, took seven years to complete. Work began in 1896, and again, conditions for the lighthouse construction were challenging. The workmen spent much of their time confined to barracks waiting out the weather. James Kavanagh of Wicklow was the Foreman and was well respected by his men.

The weather regularly hampered work, but by March 1903, conditions were calm enough for the temporary light apparatus to land.  This was exhibited on 19th May.  The last stone was laid in early June just three weeks before Kavanagh was taken.  He was taken ashore to Crookhaven, where he died shortly afterwards. He had lived to see the tower completed, though the internal fitting and lantern took another year.

During installation, the new lighting apparatus by Chance Brothers was damaged during a storm, and part of the equipment was washed away.

The lighthouse was completed, and a biform four-sided optic was first lit on 27th June 1904.  The old 1854 light was then discontinued and dismantled, leaving its base to be used as an oil store. The paraffin vapour burner was converted to electric operation on 10th May 1969.

An explosive fog signal, established in 1887, was transferred to the new tower when it came into operation in 1904.  An electric horn replaced this in 1974.

In 1979, Fastnet Lighthouse witnessed the notorious Fastnet Race, in which there were 19 fatalities. Gerald Butler was the Lightkeeper on duty during that fateful night, and his story is told in his memoirs, The Lightkeeper: A Memoir.

Fastnet Lighthouse was automated in March 1989, and its fog signal was discontinued on 11th January 2011, following a review of navigation aids.

In 2021, the lighthouse was modernised by installing a new LED light mounted onto the roof of the lantern.

A memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives can be found on Cape Clear Island.

A commemorative section of the floor at the Mizen Head Visitor Centre commemorates the centenary of Fastnet Lighthouse.

Boat trips from Baltimore and Schull operate regularly around Fastnet Lighthouse.