RTÉ Radio to broadcast from historic Mayo sites

A special live RTÉ Radio 1 broadcast from Blacksod Lighthouse and the Inishkea Islands this weekend will be poignant for presenter Cathal Murray, who lost his grandfather at sea in the area.

Late Date will broadcast live from Blacksod Lighthouse from 10pm to 1am this Saturday, June 20, to mark the summer solstice as part of a partnership with Irish Lights, the safety at sea organisation, and to celebrate the intertwined roles of lighthouses and late night radio in providing essential information, weather updates and a human voice during demanding shifts in remote stations.

The broadcast comes as Blacksod Lighthouse marks the 160th year since it became operational, and it still remains vital for vessels operating in some of the Atlantic’s most demanding waters. The lighthouse has become famous in world history for the weather report sent by a local woman, Maureen Sweeney, which changed the timing of the D-Day Landings in 1944.

Presenter Ray Cuddihy will be based at the lighthouse itself while Cathal Murray will broadcast from the nearby Inishkea Islands, which have been uninhabited for almost 100 years.

For Cathal, the broadcast will also have a strong, personal connection. In 1937, his grandfather Patrick Monaghan, a native of Inishkea and a lighthouse keeper, was lost at sea in the area.

“My grandfather Patrick Monaghan lost his life when he was 27 on Blackrock Lighthouse. That was in 1937 and seven months later, my mother was born. She grew up in Tarmon near Blacksod and would have spent all my childhood holidays around there,” he told the Western People.

“I grew up in Athlone but we have a strong connection to that part of Mayo. As a child I used to sit on the beach and watch the red light flash every six seconds from Blackrock and think that my grandfather was out there. I have a romantic attachment to this place and to get the opportunity to do this and to broadcast from Inishkea is thrilling,” he said.

Cathal said they want to give listeners of Late Date a flavour of the past and to mark the connection between lighthouses and radio.

“We have some commissioned pieces by the likes of Elaine Mai and a performance from Mayo man Seamus Fogarty. We are going to have a ‘broadcast forecast’ written by John McKenna put out as well,” he said.

“We hope to give listeners a taste of what it is like to be out there on an important outpost, take them back in time with poetry and live music.”

Meanwhile, major celebrations are planned on Saturday, June 30, to celebrate 160 years of Blacksod Lighthouse.

The day will begin with a Lighthouse Open Day from 12 noon to 4pm, welcoming visitors to explore the lighthouse, enjoy historical exhibitions, and engage with the Coast Guard helicopter and Ballyglass Coast Guard Unit.

An evening celebration will continue at the SOLAS Visitor Centre, culminating in a special night ceremony at Blacksod Lighthouse at 10pm where guests will gather for a candlelit tribute marking the moment the lighthouse was first illuminated 160 years ago, followed by a live RTÉ Radio 1 broadcast from the lighthouse.