Lighthouses!

Primary 1 and 2 children have been reading stories about lighthouses and learning how they work. We were very excited to have a visit from one of our own grandparents, Mr John Waddell, who is helping with restoration work on the lighthouses on Rathlin Island. He was just back from a visit to Rathlin yesterday and he had lots of knowledge to share with us.

He showed us pictures of the lamps and explained a little about how they work, and how things have changed over the years. We heard about the ships which were wrecked on the coast before the first lighthouse was built, and a gruesome tale about the dangers of the early foghorn on the island- a cannon! John told us that the lighthouse keepers worked in teams of three so there was always one on watch, and we saw pictures of the inside- the children had been curious about how they lived in round rooms.

The children listened really attentively and had lots of interesting questions to ask, such as ‘Does the lamp room get hot inside?’ and ‘Does it get scary at night?’ Luckily Mr Waddell had all the answers!

LWe are very grateful to John for taking the time to come and talk to us and for sharing the super photos and movie of the lantern working.

Thank you Mr Waddell!