Early lighthouses were built only on solid ground, often on rocky headlands or islands. In muddy estuaries, old ships were anchored with lamps on their masts. Belfast Lough, a wide muddy estuary, lacked suitable foundations, inspiring Dublin-born Alexander Mitchell (1780–1868), who became totally blind by age 23, to invent the screwpile lighthouse—a wooden or iron pile with a corkscrew base and helical plate for stability. Mitchell tested his design in Belfast Lough, enabling lighthouses to be built on sand and mud.

In the mid-1800s, the Londonderry Port & Harbour Commissioners installed pile lights at Redcastle, Whitecastle, Quigley’s Point, and Ture Point, plus small onshore lighthouses along the Foyle. Moville, however, had only a small pole light until 1884, when a large pile light was built to guide Glasgow steamships. Constructed on nine iron girders screwed ten feet into the seabed, it stood 30 feet tall with a two-story structure. The lightkeepers lived on the platform, maintaining the intermittent light powered initially by paraffin, later by gas.

Over time, most pile lights became automated or fell into disrepair. Today, only a few remain along Ireland’s coast. Moville Light is the last surviving example in the area, refurbished in 2009, now solar-powered with a reduced range and updated flashing pattern. Its enduring presence keeps the local ballad alive: “We have a lovely lighthouse in Moville…”

This article is sourced from the archives of the Inishowen Maritime Museum, Greencastle, Co. Donegal.