Keeping Watch returns for Season 4 with Ed Peppitt and Mel Charles back behind the microphones after an extended break. The episode opens with a warm catch-up between the hosts, a little relief that the long-awaited fourth season is finally underway, and the reassurance that the season has been carefully planned, even if the spreadsheet took a while to become finished episodes.
Episode Summary
In this first episode of Season 4, Ed and Mel begin with lighthouse news from around the world before handing over to a full-length interview with Alan Boyers, former lighthouse keeper and long-serving attendant keeper at Old Head of Kinsale in County Cork.
Alan speaks with Mel about a life shaped by Irish Lights: growing up in lighthouse families, following his father into the service, training as a keeper, working around the Irish coast, living through automation, and eventually returning to lighthouse life at Old Head of Kinsale. The conversation ranges from fog cannons, lightning strikes, mercury baths and storm shutters to family memories, keeper hierarchies, lighthouse hobbies, ships in bottles, and the deep friendships formed by those who worked the rocks.
It is a generous, funny, moving interview with someone whose life has been intertwined with lighthouses from childhood.
In This Episode
Ed and Mel discuss:
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The return of Keeping Watch for Season 4
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News of recovered blocks from the Lighthouse of Alexandria
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The scale, design and possible appearance of the ancient Pharos
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A volunteer residential lighthouse keeper opportunity at Point Reyes, north of San Francisco
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Mel's visit to Cork with the Association of Lighthouse Keepers
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Meeting Alan Boyers at Old Head of Kinsale
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Why this interview was too rich to split into short excerpts
Mel and Alan discuss:
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Fog at Old Head of Kinsale and the old fog allowance
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The history of the gunner's house and fog cannons at Old Head
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Lighthouse families in Ireland and the decline of resident keeper families
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Alan's childhood moving between Irish lighthouse stations
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His father's service with Irish Lights and Alan's decision to follow him
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Joining Irish Lights as an "improver"
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Training at the lighthouse depot and at Dun Laoghaire
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Life before and during automation
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Returning to the lighthouse world as attendant keeper at Old Head of Kinsale in 1992
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Working as a chef alongside lighthouse duties
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Life at Old Head with Alan's wife Kathy
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The animals at the lighthouse, including tortoises George and Henrietta
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Alan's 26 lighthouse stations
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Storm Ophelia and the force of Atlantic weather
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A lightning strike that forced Alan to switch off the light at night
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The four-and-a-half-ton lens at Old Head and the change to LED lighting
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Mercury baths, vapour readings and the move toward bearings
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Ballycotton, Fastnet, Bull Rock, Skelligs, Tuskar Rock, Roancarrig and other Irish lights
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The keeper community, radio calls, WhatsApp groups and old stories
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Semaphore, Morse code and changing communication at lighthouse stations
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Lighthouse artefacts, uniforms, brass buttons and family keepsakes
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The work of wives and children in lighthouse families
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Keeper hierarchy, rock station life and friendships
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Hobbies on the rocks, including ships in bottles, shell work, Open University courses and fishing
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The hardship of long relief delays before helicopters became common
Lighthouse News The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Mel shares news of work to recover large stone blocks from the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos. The recovered blocks weigh around 80 tonnes each, and archaeologists have found architectural details that may help refine understanding of how the lighthouse looked.
The hosts reflect on the astonishing scale of the Pharos: probably more than 100 metres tall, with a square base, octagonal middle section and cylindrical lantern room, topped by a statue of Zeus. Its light may have been visible up to 50 kilometres away.
Point Reyes Volunteer Lighthouse Keepers
Mel also highlights a call for residential volunteer lighthouse keepers at Point Reyes, north of San Francisco. The role involves helping visitors understand lighthouse life as part of the National Park Service, with accommodation provided and a winter season running roughly from November to May.
Main Guest
Alan Boyers Former Irish Lights lighthouse keeper and attendant keeper at Old Head of Kinsale.
Alan comes from a lighthouse family and joined Irish Lights at a young age after the death of his father, who had also been a keeper. Across his career, Alan served at 26 lighthouse stations and later became attendant keeper at Old Head of Kinsale, where he has lived and worked since 1992.
Key Themes A Life In The Service
Alan's story is inseparable from Irish Lights. As a child, he moved between stations including Roches Point, Ballycotton, Tuskar Rock and Rosslare/Whiteford. After his father died in 1972, Irish Lights told Alan he could apply when he was old enough. At 16, he rang them to say he was ready.
Because he was still too young to become a full keeper, he began in the lighthouse depot as an improver, learning practical skills across departments before formal training.
Automation And Change
Alan entered lighthouse keeping as automation was approaching. Irish Lights gave keepers a long notice period, but the change was still painful for people who loved the job. Alan took redundancy, trained as a chef, and thought his lighthouse life was over until Old Head of Kinsale became available as an attendant keeper post.
Old Head Of Kinsale
Old Head becomes almost a character in the episode: beautiful, exposed, fog-prone, storm-battered and deeply loved. Alan explains its fog history, including cannons and the gunner's house, and describes living there through lightning strikes, Atlantic storms and the daily rhythms of an automated light.
The Beauty And Loss Of Lighthouse Technology
Alan and Mel talk about Fresnel lenses, LED lights, mercury baths and fog engines. Alan is grateful that Old Head has retained its lens, even though the warmer character of the old light has changed with LED technology. He also reflects on the practical and health-and-safety changes around mercury.
Family, Memory And Inheritance
Some of the episode's most moving moments centre on Alan's father, RW Boyers. Alan deliberately visited every lighthouse his father had served at, searching for signatures and traces of him. He also still has the lighthouse keeper's cap that was placed on his father's coffin.
Alan reflects on whether his children might have followed him into the service had traditional lighthouse keeping continued. One son did go to sea, and Alan describes lighthouse work as something that belonged to whole families, not just the men officially employed as keepers.
The Hidden Work Of Lighthouse Families
Alan is clear that wives and children did a great deal of work at lighthouse stations: painting walls, polishing lenses, cleaning brass and helping maintain the station. He notes that women in lighthouse families did not always receive the recognition they deserved.
Life On The Rocks
Alan describes the routine of rock stations: four hours on watch, eight hours off; fishing, swimming where possible, making things, studying, and living closely with other keepers. There were hierarchies and difficult personalities, but also lifelong bonds.
The episode captures both the romance and the cost of the job: long absences, family strain, communication difficulties and the impossibility of coming ashore except in the most serious circumstances.
Memorable Moments
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Mel and Ed admitting Season 4 has been planned for months, but has only now made it back to air
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The hosts marvelling at the possible 100-metre height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria
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Alan explaining that Old Head was known for fog and that keepers received fog allowance
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Alan describing the house at Old Head as so exposed that opening the front door could nearly blow you away
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The story of two foxes getting into the top of the tower during a storm
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Alan being bitten while trying to remove them
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A lightning strike at Old Head that stopped the rotation of the lens and forced Alan to turn off the light at night
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Alan describing the Old Head lens: a four-and-a-half-ton optic still revolving around an LED
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Alan meeting his old school principal while in full keeper uniform at Bailey Lighthouse
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The "Hilton" nickname for Ballycotton's once-excellent rock station accommodation
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Alan camping as a boy near Ballycotton under an Irish Lights flag
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The retired keepers' WhatsApp group replacing old radio calls
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Stories of Christmas sing-songs over lighthouse radio
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Alan searching old stations for his father's signatures
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George and Henrietta the tortoises becoming unexpected stars of the visit
Places Mentioned
Links And Resources
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Association of Lighthouse Keepers: https://alk.org.uk
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Alan's Instagram: oldheadlighthousekinsale
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Old Head Lighthouse Kinsale Instagram: search for oldheadlighthousekinsale
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Point Reyes National Seashore volunteer opportunities: check the National Park Service website
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Lighthouse of Alexandria archaeological news: search for recent coverage of Pharos recovery work
Closing Notes
After the interview, Ed and Mel reflect on what an extraordinary guest Alan is, and Mel shares that Alan and his tortoises, George and Henrietta, will be remembered fondly by the podcast.
Mel also explains that the long break between seasons was partly personal, following the death of her father and a needed step back from volunteering. The episode ends with thanks to listeners, a reminder to subscribe or follow the podcast, and an invitation to return in a fortnight for the next episode of Keeping Watch.
Key moments 00:00 Season Four Returns 01:35 Why The Break 03:15 Lighthouse News Alexandria 08:06 Point Reyes Keeper Call 10:13 Meet Alan Boy 13:33 Fog Allowance Tales 15:56 Lighthouse Family Life 17:31 From Keeper To Chef 21:49 Pets And Peninsula Life 23:01 Training And Automation 26:22 Storms Foxes Lightning 30:04 Lens Mercury And LEDs 36:03 Join The ALK 36:37 Weather Watching Today 38:41 Stormproofing the House 39:33 Meeting Kathy and Lighthouse Life 40:38 COVID Isolation on Old Head 41:20 Ballycotton Memories and Mentors 44:51 Keepers Network and Radio Days 47:14 Family Legacy and Father's Story 53:28 Favourite Stations and Lost Relics 58:53 Rock Station Culture and Hobbies 01:00:44 Ships in Bottles and Characters 01:07:34 Fastnet Pride and Family Sacrifice 01:10:17 Wrap Up and Podcast Return
KEEPING WATCH is a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation.
We're keen to talk with other former light vessel and lighthouse keepers and crew - as well as others currently working in the lighthouse service. Again, you can email me at [email protected].
Please spread the word to friends and family who might be interested in listening. And do like, follow or subscribe to this podcast so that you are notified when each new episode is published. A comment or a splendid review on your podcast platform of choice would be very welcome and really helps us to get noticed.
If you have an idea for a story you'd like us to cover, or an interesting person with a lighthouse connection we might interview, do please drop me a line. Or perhaps you are a fellow enthusiast and would like to contribute to the podcast either once or on a regular basis?
You can contact me at [email protected].
KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive.
Visit the Association of Lighthouse Keepers: www.alk.org.uk
