The Last Keeper of the Light

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2018

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The lighthouse on Skellig Michael off the south west coast of Ireland was continuously occupied by lighthouse keepers for more than 150 years until its automation 1987. Skellig Michael has now become a tourist attraction since its ancient monastery was used as a location in recent Star Wars films. The last keeper of the light there was Richard Foran who has been speaking to Catherine Harvey about life on the remote island.

Photo: The lighthouses on Skellig Michael. Credit: Alamy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.
0:04.7	My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.
0:08.5	As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.
0:18.0	What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,
0:24.6	poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.
0:29.7	If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC
0:35.4	Sounds.
0:38.4	Choosing what to watch.
0:39.4	Night after night.
0:41.1	The flicking through. The endless searching is a nightmare. We want to help you. On our
0:46.7	brand new podcast off the telly we share what we've been watching.
0:50.3	Cladie aider. Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming, lovely.
0:55.0	Off the telly with me Joanna Paige and me, Natalie Cassidy,
0:59.0	so your evenings can be a little less searching
1:02.0	and a lot more watching.
1:03.4	Listen on BBC Sounds.
1:05.4	Hello, you're listening to the Witness Podcast.
1:08.4	History as told by the people who were there.
1:11.0	I'm Catherine Harvey, and today I'm taking you back to
1:14.2	1987 and the end of an era for one of Ireland's most famous and historic landmarks
1:20.0	the Lighthouse on the island of Scallig Michael.
1:23.0	I've been speaking to Richard Foran about his memories of being the last keeper of April 1987, the very last resident keeper on Scallig Michael left the
	...

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