Since Autumn 2018 I have been organising trips for the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK). The first year went relatively well, but as you can probably imagine March 2020 did it’s Covid-y thing and put a stop to such events. Prior to that I’d been working away on the ALK’s Annual General Meeting weekend, which always comprises far more than just a meeting. We’d got the go ahead to proceed with Belfast as the location for 2020 and suddenly the brakes went on and rescheduling for 2021 became necessary.

Fast forward a year and we faced another period of uncertainty with on/off restrictions and Covid cases still high. Recognising the importance of keeping everyone safe it was again agreed to postpone for a year.

At the time it meant much less work, that’s for sure, but time passes so fast these days that it wasn’t long before connections needed to be re-established, bookings confirmed and details shared.

To say Belfast was an ambitious location for the AGM would be something of an understatement. With around 70 members signed up and transport and a ferry to be arranged for most there was a lot to do. Establishing some kind of relationship and trust with Irish Lights was important too. As a result, this post will be a bit different and hopefully give an insight into the trials and tribulations of event planning!

The first day was reserved for the formal meeting and dinner, although I did get a quick visit to Greencastle in with Bob, Steve and Lianne to see Haulbowline Lighthouse in Carlingford Lough. It’s always one that’s so close, but still too far away.

Between the meeting and dinner I joined other members as we went to take a look at the ‘Great Light’ on the Titanic Walkway. This hyper radial lens was previously located at the top of the Mew Island Lighthouse tower, casting its incredibly powerful light over the sea surrounding the east coast. It’s really very impressive and is surrounded by plenty of lens-related information.

On the second day we all gathered at the wonderfully picturesque town of Donaghadee, arriving in two separate parties so as not to inundate the place in one big go. I’d organised boat trips for the groups to head out around Mew Island to see the lighthouse there – the former home of the lens seen the previous day. The boat trip also gave some views of the old lighthouse in the Copeland Islands group which is now in ruins.

The local attendant along with Irish Lights area manager opened up the harbour lighthouse for us there. Harbour lights are generally pretty small, but Donaghadee is an exception. It’s bright white exterior and horizontal band detailing gives it a really unique look. Being the organiser I was the last to go up the lighthouse and managed a private tour of my own when all the others had disappeared off to explore Donaghadee a bit more.

The RNLI team in Donaghadee had very kindly opened up their station for us to look around and also provided tea and coffee. Among the ALK membership there are also a number of Lifeboat enthusiasts so this went down rather well. They were great hosts too.

It became clear quite early on that the boat trips around Mew Island were running late so it wasn’t a surprise when the boatman announced he wouldn’t be able to take the last group out due to the fading light. After a moment of panic I worked out a solution with the boatman which meant the final handful of ALK members went out the following morning instead. Just one of perils of event organising!

On the Monday we set off for Blackhead Lighthouse. When the coach company announced they wouldn’t be able to get along the access road to the lighthouse I was delighted personally as it meant we’d get to walk along the coast from Whitehead. Obviously, with my event organiser head on though I was concerned about those who weren’t able to manage the walk, but thankfully we got them sorted with lifts on cars and all turned out well in the end.

Blackhead is a great place to hang out and even standing around at the bottom of the short tower making sure everyone got a chance to go up offered plenty of opportunities to catch up with the members as they came and went. Joy and Patrick Tubby who were staying in one of the cottages along with others were excellent hosts with food and drink on offer once people had taken a look around the lighthouse.

Once again, I was the last to go up and it had all got very chilled out by that point so I was able to amble around up the tower with Patrick and John before heading up to the cottage.

After bidding farewell to the final members as they made their way back along the coast to the coach, the rest of that day was reserved for drinking wine with friends at Blackhead. Probably not wise given that the following day was the biggest of all, but also good fun.

The final day arrived and the members gathered for the journey up to Ballycastle to catch the ferry over to Rathlin Island. Taking a group of around 50 people over was no mean feat, but thankfully everyone behaved and the herding of the cats was straightforward enough. The only problem was a couple of our former lighthouse keeper members were caught in traffic, but thankfully the ferry crew knew them well and so it was no trouble at all to leave a bit late to make sure they got on board. Gerald Butler who lives at Galley Head Lighthouse was among the latecomers and his ability to charm the socks off anyone once again worked its magic!

My detailed transport plan, developed in partnership with Bert’s Puffin Bus, for getting two groups around with just one bus worked very well indeed and the first group set off for Rathlin West Lighthouse. When the bus returned I joined the second group for the journey to the East Lighthouse. For me this was an exciting one to get inside. It’s an absolute beauty from the outside and the light operates 24 hours a day, although at the time of our visit it was operating on the emergency light outside as maintenance work was in progress.

Once again I timed my visit to the top, among the last lot again having had the job of being that annoying person at the door who had to tell the general public they couldn’t come in as it was a private visit.

When you get former keepers together the conversation just flows and flows so I had the pleasure of listening to Gerald and Eddie chatting to Noel, the attendant keeper for Rathlin. The fondness with which they speak is always a joy to hear.

When the bus returned it was time to head for the West Lighthouse – the upside down light. This is such a special place to visit and not only for the lighthouse, which involves going down copious amounts of staircases to get to the lantern.

Perhaps my favourite bit at Rathlin West though are the incredible views looking north from the grounds of the lighthouse. The cliffs are fantastic and I could easily have spent an extended period of time gazing at that view had time allowed.

Once everyone had enjoyed the tea and coffee provided by the RSPB team there and been coaxed back up the lighthouse we set off back for the ferry terminal where we got a great group photo, minus the few who decided to go to the pub!

After the return ferry and coach journey it was time to bid farewell to everyone. It had been a busy few days, but luckily with no major problems. For many of the ALK members attending, this was one of the first times they had visited lighthouses in Ireland and I’m pleased to say the wonderful Irish hospitality and charm worked a treat! There was plenty of appetite among the members to spend more time exploring lighthouses in other parts of Ireland too.

Although it was a relief when the event was over, it was also a massively rewarding experience and I was receiving gifts through the post for weeks afterwards, paid for by contributions from all of those who attended the event. It was a pleasure and a really excellent way of getting better engaged with the ALK’s Irish members as well as Irish Lights 🙂