As part of the Dublin Festival of History, Dr Eoin Kinsella will give a talk entitled Lighthouses, Lightships and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Safeguarding Ireland’s Coasts 1914–23.

The free online-held event presented by Irish Lights on Thursday, 7th October (1900-2000hrs), will explore this pivotal decade in Irish history from the unique perspectives the Lightkeepers stationed around the Irish coast.

The Commissioners of Irish Lights in late 1913 received word from the Admiralty that, in the event of war, it would be necessary to dim or even extinguish certain navigational lights around the coast.

Even with that warning, there was little to indicate the scale of the challenges presented to Irish Lights over the next decade. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was the first in a series of events that left a lasting impact on the island of Ireland.

The ability of Irish Lights and its lightkeepers to fulfil their mission - ensuring safety at sea for all - was tested as never before during the grim realities of the war at sea off the Irish Coast, a crisis swiftly followed by the ever-present threat of raids on lighthouses between 1919 and 1923, and the difficult question of the future of the lighthouse service after the creation of two separate states on the island of Ireland.

To register for tickets, they are available from Eventbrite here.

For other events during the Dublin Festival of History (see website) which is brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company.

The festival which began last month continues to Sunday, 10th October, with a programme of more than 100 events, both online and held in-person.