Mew Island
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Mew Island Lighthouse is an active
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
within the
Copeland Islands The Copeland Islands is a group of three islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland, consisting of Lighthouse Island (also known as Old Island), Copeland Island (also known as Big Island) and Mew Island. ...
of
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. The current 19th-century tower is the most recent in a series of lighthouses that have been built in the islands, which have helped to guide shipping around the archipelago and into
Belfast Lough Belfast Lough () is a large sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish ...
. A number of different fuels, including
coal gas Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
, paraffin, and diesel, have been used to power the lighthouse. In 2015, the
Commissioners of Irish Lights The Commissioners of Irish Lights (), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse a ...
, who operate the lighthouse, replaced the
hyperradiant Fresnel lens Hyper-radial or hyperradiant Fresnel lenses are Fresnel lenses used in lighthouses. They are larger than First order Fresnel lens#Sizes of lighthouse lenses, "first-order" lenses, having a focal length (radius) of 1330 mm (52.36 inches). The ...
optic with a flashing
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
system that uses only solar power. This large optic was then preserved and is now on display in the
Titanic Quarter Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic- ...
of
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
as a visitor attraction known as ''The Great Light''.


Copeland Island

The earliest lighthouse in the Copeland Islands was built on Lighthouse Island in 1711 and used coal burnt in a brazier mounted on a three-storey tower above a keeper's cottage. Other cottage lighthouses were established at
Howth Head Howth Head ( ; ''Ceann Bhinn Éadair'' in Irish) is a peninsula northeast of the city of Dublin in Ireland, within the governance of Fingal County Council. Entry to the headland is at Sutton while the village of Howth and the harbour are on t ...
,
Loop Head Loop Head (), is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is Kerry Head. The ...
and the
Old Head of Kinsale The Old Head of Kinsale () is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. A castle has been on the headland since at least the 3rd century, with the current iteration built in 1223. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th centur ...
. The tower was improved in 1796 with the addition of a glazed lantern room, with the light coming from "six Argand (circular wick) lamps burning
sperm oil Sperm oil (see also: Spermaceti) is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is tr ...
. Each of the six lamps was magnified by a parabolic reflector." In 1810 responsibility for lighthouses in Ireland passed from the
Revenue Commissioners The Revenue Commissioners (), commonly called Revenue, is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters. Though Revenue can trace itself back to predecessors (with the Act of Union 1800 amalgamating ...
to the Ballast Board, the predecessor of the Commissioners of Irish Lights. One of the first improvements made by the board was to replace the existing lighthouse with an adjacent higher tower. Designed by
George Halpin George Halpin (Sr.) (1779? – 8 July 1854), was a prominent civil engineer and lighthouse builder, responsible for the construction of much of the Port of Dublin, several of Dublin's bridges, and a number of lighthouses; he is considered the foun ...
, it was lit with nearly five times the number of lamps and reflectors, twenty-seven in all, giving a range of . Known as the Copeland Island Lighthouse, it had a tower, at a focal plane of , and was completed in 1815. Despite these earlier lighthouses, the islands, which are known for the strong tidal currents that surround them, have been the location of various shipwrecks, including the ''Mermaid'' in 1854, ''Betsey'' in 1814, and the ''Enterprise'' in 1801. With a steady increase in trade and associated shipping during the middle of the 19th century to and from
Belfast Harbour Belfast Harbour is a major maritime hub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, handling 67% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and about 25% of the maritime trade of the entire island of Ireland. It is a vital gateway for raw materials, exports and c ...
, there was a need for an improved lighthouse to guide shipping around the islands, and into
Belfast Lough Belfast Lough () is a large sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish ...
. Evidence collected by the Royal Commission on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons in 1861, showed that the existing lighthouse needed to be replaced by one at a lower level on the outer Mew Island.


Mew Island

In 1875 the Belfast Harbour Commissioners asked that the Copeland light be shifted to Mew Island, with the need for a new lighthouse being endorsed by the Board of Trade in 1881. Work on the light began in 1882, to a design by William Douglass. One of the key aspects of the design was to improve on the earlier oil powered light with its simple reflectors, by using gas burners in conjunction with a rotating glass
Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...
. The lighthouse was completed in 1884 and consisted of a rubble stone tower, with a large glazed lantern room. This housed a substantial first-order optic, the largest type available at that time, from the French lens maker Barbier and Fenestre. This tri-form lens had three tiers of lenses each with its own set of 108 gas burners. The output from the light could be varied according to the number of jets used. On a clear night just 32 were lit in the lower tier, but in poor conditions such as fog all three tiers could be lit using 324 burners. The contractor for the works was Thomas S. Dixon Co. of Belfast, who also built the adjacent keeper's house on the island; five other houses were built by H. Fulton on the mainland at
Donaghadee Donaghadee ( , ) is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles (10 km) south east of Bangor, County Down, Bangor. It is in the Civil paris ...
to act as shore dwellings for the keepers and their families. The gas used in the light and the fog siren engines was generated by burning
cannel coal Cannel coal or candle coal is a type of bituminous coal, also classified as terrestrial type oil shale. Hutton(1987) Dyni (2006), pp. 3–4 Speight (2012), pp. 6–7 Due to its physical morphology and low mineral content cannel coal is considered ...
in a gas plant alongside the tower and was stored in
gasometer A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas (coal gas or formerly also water gas) is natural gas storage, stored near atmospheric pressure at room temperature, ambient temperatures. ...
s until used.


Hyperradiant optic

Ongoing problems with the first-order optic meant that it needed replacing, so it was decided to use the hyperradiant optic that had originally been designed for the
Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory, is an island 14.5 kilometres (7+3⁄4 nautical miles) off the north-west coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is officially known by its Iris ...
lighthouse, where it had been installed in 1887. Made by the same French manufacturer as the first-order lens, the hyperradiant is the largest type ever used for lighthouses, having a focal length or radius of . Like the first-order optic it had a tri-form configuration, consisting of three tiers of lenses stacked above each other, with each tier having six panels, spanning 60 degrees. In the 1920s, it was removed from Tory Island, and re-engineered by
Chance Brothers Chance Brothers and Company was an English glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands (county), West Midlands (formerly in Staffordshire), in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassma ...
in
Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...
, where it was reduced in size to a bi-form system with two tiers. Two of the six bullseye panels were replaced by metal blanks, producing a
light characteristic A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular somewhat navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists ...
of four flashes of white light every thirty seconds. To enable the optic to turn freely it was mounted upon a circular bath of mercury known as a mercury float, providing an almost frictionless bearing. The redesigned light was then installed at Mew Island in 1928. It was lit using paraffin, making the coal plant redundant, the last in use at an Irish light. In 1969 generators were installed at the lighthouse, allowing the use of electric light to replace the paraffin burners, and an electric motor to replace the weight driven rotation system. The hyper-radial lens, which weighed , was carefully removed from the lighthouse in 2014 and transferred to the mainland by the ILV ''Granuaile''. After restoration at the Commissioners of Irish Lights workshop in
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
, it was shipped back by ''Granuaile'' to Belfast to be put on display in "a new interpretive structure, made to resemble a lighthouse lantern room" on the waterside walkway in the Titanic Quarter. The majority of the £447,000 cost of the new structure was met by a
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
grant, with other contributions from Belfast City Council and Ulster villages.


LED system

A temporary light was displayed until 2015, when a solar powered LED system was commissioned that uses flashing illuminants to mimic the characteristic of the rotating lens. Its installation reduced the range from of the hyperradiant apparatus to , and the focal height to . In 2017, it was enhanced with an additional fixed light, changing the light characteristic slightly from four flashes every 30 seconds, with "A new low luminous intensity fixed light
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
will be combined with the existing flashing light of higher luminous intensity in order to assist with acquisition of the light during the eclipse period." The change to the LED system and the removal of the optic from Mew Island has been criticised. Campaigners argue that the changes made were unnecessary and that there has been a lack of maintenance since the keepers left, with fixtures and fittings destroyed during the changeover. Protests at other Irish lighthouses marked for changes to LED lighting have also occurred, using Mew Island as an example of what can happen. At St John's Point also in County Down, campaigners argue that the LED beam is too harsh compared to the traditional system. The response from the commissioners is that the changes allow the removal of mercury which is a hazardous substance, and that the LEDs are more energy-efficient, allowing the use of solar power.


Fog signal

Foggy conditions make the islands especially hazardous; a
fog bell A fog bell is a navigation mark used as an audible aid to navigation in seafaring, especially in fog and poor visibility. Floating navigation signs with bells are called bell buoys. On ships, the ship's bell is used for sound signals. Due to more s ...
at the Copeland lighthouse was added in 1851 after three steam ships had run aground. The need for an improved fog signal was important as further groundings had occurred. A twin fog siren was installed at Mew, with a high and low note sounding at intervals for four seconds. More powerful compressors and engines were added in 1899. The system was replaced by a
diaphone The diaphone is a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: It can produce deep, powerful tones, able to carry a long distance. Although they have fallen out of favor, diaphones were also used at some fire stations and in other situ ...
fog horn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. ...
in 1929, which continued in service until 1991.


Buildings and operation

Initially painted black, the cement rendered tower was given a broad white band following repairs in 1954. In the 1970s an additional white tower surmounted by a large octagonal watch room was built, connected to the engine room. The lighthouse complex, including the tower and associated buildings, has been protected as a category B+ listed building since 1976. The listing states that the lighthouse "is a testament to the ambition of the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the skills of the nineteenth century engineers and workmen who built it." Following automation of the lighthouse in 1996, the keepers were no longer required to live on the island, ending a service that had kept the light operating for 112 years. The lighthouse has an
automatic identification system The automatic identification system (AIS) is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services (VTS). When satellites are used to receive AIS signatures, the term ''Satellite-AIS'' (S-AIS) is ...
transmitter and a
radar beacon Radar beacon (short: racon) is – according to ''article 1.103'' of the International Telecommunication Union, International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as "A transmitter-receiver associated with a fi ...
emitting the letter O as a
Morse Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churchi ...
character (— — —). It is registered under the international Admiralty number A5976 and it has the NGA identifier of 114–6792.


See also

*
List of Grade B+ listed buildings in County Down A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of lighthouses in Ireland This is a list of lighthouses in Ireland. The Commissioners of Irish Lights are responsible for the majority of marine navigation aids around the island though a small number are maintained by local harbour authorities. The main list identifie ...


References


External links


Commissioners of Irish Lights

The Great Light
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mew Island Lighthouse Lighthouses in Northern Ireland Buildings and structures in County Down Lighthouses completed in 1884 Grade B+ listed buildings Listed lighthouses in Northern Ireland 1884 establishments in Ireland