Embrace the legends of Northern Ireland’s lighthouses

The Legends of the Lighthouse collection, launched last December at Titanic Belfast, is the result of a film bursary awarded by Great Lighthouses of Ireland to encourage young UK and Irish film-makers to turn their lenses on some of the Northern Ireland’s landmark lighthouses.  

The collection features the film-makers’ individual, creative response to the heritage, stories, people and settings of Northern Ireland’s truly unique great lighthouses – Blackhead in County Antrim, Rathlin West Light on Rathlin Island, St John’s Point in County Down and The Great Light in the Titanic Quarter, Belfast.

The Great Light by Emma Zukovic tells the story of one of the world’s largest optic lenses that for 100 years safeguarded seafarers in the Irish Sea and now stands proudly in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. 

Standing 7m high, weighing 10 tonnes and housed in an imposing purpose-built lantern room, the Great Light marks the end of the Titanic Walkway, along which interpretative panels tell the fascinating maritime and industrial history of Belfast. It has become a magnet for maritime enthusiasts. 

Two of the films are set on the beautiful and remote Rathlin Island, off the north coast of County Antrim. In Rathlin, Nathalie Baker finds joy in the small moments of island life and in her favourite place near one of Rathlin’s three lighthouses, while Light in the West by Belfast-based duo Lawrence Eagling and Tasha Philips, focuses on the famous ‘upside down’ Rathlin West Light. In this film, islander and Rathlin native Liam McFaul tells of the lighthouse’s connection to the community, while the beauty of the landscape is captured in stunning aerial photography. 

The distinctive yellow and black lighthouse at St John’s Point captivated film-makers Rupert Shanks and Yvonne Gordon. The tallest onshore lighthouse on the island of Ireland overlooks the Irish Sea and County Down’s rolling countryside. In Beneath the Beam these two experienced filmmakers talk to others also under the lighthouse’s spell. 

Galway based film-maker Hugh Sweeney response to the lighthouses is Dad’s Letter, both a compelling family drama and a rich evocation of lighthouse life. It also highlights other nearby coastal attractions such as the spectacular Gobbins Cliff Path and the area’s links to the Titanic. 

Legends of the Lighthouse is designed to marry the need to explore and conserve the heritage of lighthouses with the on-going demand for digital content from individuals, tourists and enthusiasts alike. The videos along with a digital storytelling toolkit and downloadable content are available on:  www.greatlighthouses.com

www.ireland.com