Dublin visitor maintains his connection with the island

ON a recent visit to the Point Bar and Restaurant of Renard Point, the scribe was introduced by its proprietor and most accommodating host, Mike O’Neill, to a Dublin visitor named Con Duffy from Lucan, who has been residing in Boston down through the years. The reason for the introduction was the visitor’s claim that his mother was a Valentia Islander.

The ensuing conversation proved correct as his mother is Geraldine Staniforth, now domiciled in Dublin, who is of a long established lightkeeping family. Geraldine has a sister, Margaret, also in Dublin, and both are regular visitors to Valentia Island.

Interestingly, their father was Harry Staniforth, who has the distinction of being the last lightkeeper to have served in the Valentia Lighthouse prior to automation taking place there in 1947.

Harry, who was also a lightkeeper’s son, was born in Howth Pier Lighthouse and went to sea prior to joining Irish Lights. Having been stationed in Valentia, he married Madge Murphy of Caragh Lake in 1934, who had come to the island as an employee of The Royal Hotel.

The family left Valentia in the 1947-48 period, moving to Dun Laoghaire in pursuance of Harry’s lightkeeping duties.

On his retirement in 1948 they moved back to Valentia, taking residence in the Coastal Terrace of Knightstown. Margaret and Geraldine attended the now closed Knightstown National School and subsequently went on to secondary education at the now also closed St John Bosco Convent of Cahirsiveen.

A number of retired Valentia Island lightkeeping employees speak very fondly of Harry Staniforth, who passed away in 1966 at the age of 78.

From left: Harry Saniforth (the last man to serve as a lightkeeper in Valentia), with colleagues Bill Duggan and Charlie Connolly.