The lightkeeper : a memoir / Gerald Butler and Patricia Ahern.
By: Butler, Gerald [author.].
Contributor(s): Ahern, Patricia [author.]
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Dublin : The Liffey Press, [2012]Copyright date: ©2012Description: viii, 166 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9781908308252 (paperback).Subject(s): Butler, Gerald, 1950- | Lighthouse keepers -- Ireland -- BiographyDDC classification: 387.15509415 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU National Maritime College of Ireland Library Lending | 387.15509415 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00213211 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Gerald Butler was one of Ireland's last lightkeepers. Until they were fully automated in the 1990s, Gerald spent over 21 years tending to many lighthouses around the coast of Ireland. In "The Lightkeeper" he recalls with passion the thrills, trials, tragedies, triumphs and dangers of serving on lighthouses such as Bull Rock, Mizen Head, the Old Head of Kinsale and the infamous Fastnet Rock. Throughout his captivating story, he recollects the terrible traumas of crews battling for their lives on mountainous seas, in horrendous, stormy conditions. He describes in detail the tragic 1979 Fastnet yacht race, which involved 3,000 competitors and more than 4,000 rescuers, and in which he played a vital role as a lighthouse keeper on the forbidding Fastnet Rock, towering over the storm-struck vessels as they struggled for survival. An affectionate portrayal of a different era, "The Lightkeeper" gives a unique insight into the lives and characters of lighthouse keepers, their families and the wider seafaring community
One life -- Into the West -- A light of the sea -- A keeper in the making -- Bull Rock -- Fastnet Rock -- Fastnet '79 -- Old Head of Kinsale -- Mizen Head -- A people apart -- Pastimes -- On the ocean wave -- The Kowloon Bridge -- The changeover -- A fitting farewell -- Fastnet remembered -- A lesson for life.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Foreword (p. vii)
- Map of Principal Aids to Navigation Provided by Commissioners of Irish Lights (p. x)
- Prologue (p. 1)
- 1 One Life (p. 4)
- 2 Into the West (p. 21)
- 3 A Light on the Sea (p. 30)
- 4 A Keeper in the Making (p. 41)
- 5 Bull Rock (p. 71)
- 6 Fastnet Rock (p. 86)
- 7 Fastnet '79 (p. 96)
- 8 Old Head of Kinsale (p. 109)
- 9 Mizen Head (p. 114)
- 10 A People Apart (p. 121)
- 11 Pastimes (p. 126)
- 12 On the Ocean Wave (p. 131)
- 13 The Kowloon Bridge (p. 137)
- 14 The Changeover (p. 141)
- 15 A Fitting Farewell (p. 145)
- 16 Fastnet Remembered (p. 148)
- 17 A Lesson for Life (p. 153)
- Acknowledgements (p. 161)