Lee Maginnis celebrates the 200th anniversary of Haulbowline Lighthouse at Carlingford Lough with a special visit to the great granite light

Haulbowline Lighthouse has now been keeping mariners safe for two centuries. The legendary tapered tower, standing guard at the mouth of Carlingford Lough, was designed by George Haplin, an engineering genius who was also responsible for the nearby and much more diminutive Greenore Lighthouse.

But it is Haulbowline, the 34 metres of sheer magnificence towering out of the Irish Sea, built of granite blocks nearly seamlessly joined together, that holds such a special place in the local community and further afield.

Haulbowline, the name likely derived from the Norse for eel area/den, was built to replace the existing lighthouse at Cranfield Point which has since collapsed into the sea. The nearby old keepers’ cottage is still currently intact but in poor repair. It was used as a shore station for Haulbowline until 1922 when new buildings were opened at Greencastle.

The new lighthouse was a feat of imagination and engineering, especially bearing in mind how long ago the construction took place. It was built on a wave-swept rock, only visible at low tide. Dangerous currents of up to nine knots flow around the base.

Nearby Blockhouse Island was used during the building work and some unused granite blocks are still to be found there. Back then, the Blockhouse itself was impressive; it used to be known as Carlingford Fort. Now it’s reduced to ruins which have nearly disappeared.

Originally, Haulbowline was painted white. It reverted back to its natural stone colour in 1946.

It housed three keepers and back then there was a lot to do. There was a metal ball that was hoisted and lowered to indicate the tide. There was a half-tide lantern. There was a red turning light.

Inside Haulbowline Lighthouse today: the stairs spiral to the top, while along the way salt encrusts the window panes and the sills provide a perch for cormorant nests

In case of fog, there was initially a bell, then explosive fog signals before eventually a diaphone fog signal. The main lamp would have required tending. The amount of maintenance and cleaning must have been phenomenal.

One keeper was reported as often making the swim from Haulbowline to Charlie’s Rock at Cranfield Beach, and obviously back out again. Quite a feat of athleticism, not even allowing for the hazards of stinging jellyfish.

The lighthouse became the first major Irish offshore light to become fully automated on 17 March 1965. Sadly the rest were to follow suit.

There no longer is any fog signal; it is remembered fondly by many. The generators have been taken away. There still is a light shown from 32 meyres up, but it is now a solar/battery-powered LED — the sweeping beam and rotating lens are long gone. The range is down to 10 nautical miles.

In through the stout green doors, the thickness of the walls become evident. Solid and built to last. The old life-ring still hangs behind the central pole and beginning of the cast-iron spiral staircase; it is easy to imagine the muffled clanging of the keepers’ footsteps as they ascended and descended.

The old smells of the tower still hang in the air. Salt-encrusted window panes show the result of the battering they have taken over the years. Cormorants have made use of the external sills to construct nests for hatching and raising their young.

It can be so easy to lose count of the floors when climbing towards the lantern room. Thankfully someone has kindly provided a useful diagram and left it attached to a wall.

The old oil tanks are still in place and the reek of paraffin lingers. In the basic mess room, there is a fireplace complete with the musty scent of soot. There really is not a lot of room on each floor, hard even to imagine where the beds or bunks were. There is no sign of any bathroom facilities.

Getting nearer the top, the rise in temperature is noticeable — the greenhouse effect of the glass lantern room. Suddenly emerging into bright light, the view is amazing. There is a little stack of batteries that during the day store up the charge from the four small solar panels outside and then power the LED at night. Three flashes every 10 seconds, each flash half a second in duration.

The view from the top over Carlingford Lough

A small metal door leads out onto the balcony that surrounds the lantern room. There is still a tiny high platform beside the pole where the keepers would have flown the CIL flag from. They would also have used the platform to send signals to the shore. Clambering around that narrow balcony cleaning the glazing from bird droppings and other detritus would not have been a bad job on a settled day, but would have required nerves of steel in challenging conditions.

A metal ladder leads on up to the roof of the dome. On a clear day, the panoramic views are staggering, accompanied by a strong aroma of seabird guano.

The six-cylinder Perkins diesel-powered retained boat for servicing Haulbowline is called the Willie John. William John Cunningham was pilot on Carlingford Lough for over 40 years; back then he operated in an open boat. The work was tough and dangerous. His son Sean worked with him and was a pilot and lighthouse attendant for 45 years. Sean is still active today, happily aboard the Willie John along with his nephew Michael.

When Haulbowline was manned, William John brought supplies out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All his sons work on Carlingford Lough along with two of his nephews.

Haulbowline may not be deemed to be as vital today as it once was but it’s still active and has a part to play. Thankfully it is also a listed building.

With many boats depending on GPS systems now, what happens when these systems fail? Haulbowline is a main sea light and also a guide through the entrance channel from the open sea to Carlingford Lough. Two hundred years and still standing.

With sincere thanks to the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), Newry Maritime Association (James McArevey), Sean Cunningham, Michael Cunningham and Thomas Braham.

Kiwi Lee Maginnis lives in the countryside of Northern Ireland likes the outdoors, wildlife and sport. He has a keen interest in the sea and the environment.