Lighthouse commissioner wants to protect future of heritage site

20 November 2024

THE Commissioner of Irish Lights insists that it wants to work with the community to determine how best to protect the future and heritage of St John’s Point Lighthouse.

The organisation’s proposal to downgrade the iconic sweeping beam at the lighthouse comes under public scrutiny today at an event in Newcastle.

Members of the public are being given an opportunity to have their say as the Dublin-based CIL prepares to lodge a formal bid to secure listed building consent to reduce the scale of the beam and replace a mercury bath— on which the lighthouse’s giant Fresnel lamp rotates — with a rotating ball bearing mechanism.

CIL insists the work, which includes replacing a 1000 watt high energy lamp with a 90 watt LED bulb, is necessary with the emphasis on improving the reliable and safe operation of the lighthouse for the mariner.

It says the existing high energy lamp will soon become unavailable due to energy efficiency regulation changes which will make it impossible to source.

The organisation says the planned programme of work is necessary to ensure the “safe and reliable operation” of an aid to navigation in a sustainable way.

In addition, CIL insists the proposed work will retain the rotating Fresnel lens and unique flash character of the light.

It says the proposal is similar to projects which have already been completed at Tory Island, Rathlin West and Rathlin East.

CIL is planning to reduce the range of the light down to 18 miles, retain the existing auxiliary light with an LED equivalent, provide full emergency lanterns and remove an existing diesel generator and its fuel source and provide a battery back up.

There are also plans to remove the existing wall lining to expose the original masonry on the lighthouse tower, with the work aimed at reducing cost and maintenance requirements.

The planned investment also aims to “provide opportunities for realising the tourism potential of the site” with the work taking place if listed building consent is secured.

With much focus in the Fresnel lens and the bearing system on which it rotates on a bath of mercury, CIL has described the lens as an “exceptional work of engineering”.

Regulations

But it says current UK regulations require organisations to put processes in place to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, including phasing out of its use where alternatives are available.

“Irish Lights and other Lighthouse Authorities are in the process of removing mercury from their lighthouses and from an aid to navigation perspective, there are many alternative light sources available,” says CIL.

“However, from a heritage perspective, Irish Lights has developed a system that will allow retention of the historic lens, while still delivering the required safety and environmental benefits.”

CIL says the mechanical bearing it is proposing has been successfully installed and is in operation at a number of Irish Lights sites.

“The lens is rotated on a ball bearing race using a specially designed brushless motor. This design is in use on a number of other onshore lighthouses with Fresnel lenses where mains electricity is available,” said the organisation.

“There are many other heritage features at St John’s Point including houses, gasometers and fog signal engines and Irish Lights looks forward to working with the local community and Northern Ireland state agencies to determine how best to protect the lighthouse and its heritage into the future.”

CIL’s proposal are being vehemently opposed by the Lecale Lightkeepers campaign group which wants the current beam, historic Fresnel lens and rotating mechanism retained and utilised as an important element of living history, not solely a navigational aid, for generations to come.

They say any attempt to replace the rotating beam with a less effective LED light must be revisited.

The Lecale Lightkeepers have also appealed to Newry, Mourne and Down Council — which unanimously agreed five years ago that the beam should remain in place — not to renege on its support for the battle to protect the historic light in its present mechanism.

“We want the council to double down on its support for retaining the beam and not back away from it,” a campaign group spokeswoman said.

“The current light produces an iconic and characteristic ‘loom’ or halo around the beam, which enables it to be seen over the horizon which is not readily seen with an LED which has a shorter range.

“The intrinsic character of the lighthouse is its historic sweeping beam which meets the required standard and must not be altered, nor diminished. While we understand the need to modernise, we draw the line at the destruction of the sweeping beam that the Killough lighthouse produces.”

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