Episode 3 Ar Bhealach na Gaeltachta

HE LAUGHS

Sean, I believe at one stage

-you were the lighthouse keeper here on the island?

-Oh, yes.

I came here in 1967.

It was my first permanent station.

I had done relief work around the coast previous to that.

Did relief when men were on holidays or sick.

Anywhere around the coast from Cork to Donegal.

But when I got the first permanent station here on Tory,

that left me that I was able to do a month at the station,

and go home for a fortnight.

The station was fully manually operated at that time,

with fog signals and all the equipment there then.

We were kept very busy.

During that time you must have seen

a massive change in development on the island

-from when you were a lighthouse keeper to now, running a hotel?

-Yes.

When I came here in '67, there were no ferry service,

there were no hotel here.

Very few tourists visited the island.

All...

There were 300 population here.

They had to use their own boats at that time, lower their boats

when they got the opportunity,

as in the wintertime, it was quite difficult with stormy seas.

The harbour was in very poor condition.

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