Fastnet Rock, Ireland
Harbour Lights #380

Fastnet Rock, Ireland Granite was the stone of choice for Fastnet Light, the principal landfall light on Ireland's southwest coast. The Board of Trade and Trinity House approved the new 147-foot tall tower on November 28, 1895 to replace an outmoded earlier beacon. Stone blocks were dovetailed into those around it, making it impossible to move any one stone without those above, similar to a Chinese puzzle. More than 2,047 granite blocks were shipped to Ireland from England. A young stonemason, James Kavanaugh, was responsible for each piece! He lived on the Rock from August 1896 to June 1902, determined to see the project complete. A week after leaving the rock, the 47-year old Kavanaugh died, never seeing the light shine bright. Electricity came to the lighthouse in 1969. In 1989, the last full-time Keeper was gone.