Coastguards and Lighthouse Keepers
The Rohu family has a long association with the sea, as sailors, lighthouse keepers and coastguards. Five members of the Rohu family served in the Irish Lighthouse Service. They were Fredrick Raynor Rohu, Edward Rohu, his son Alfred Rohu and grandsons Gerard and Seamus Rohu. Edward's son-in-law Jack Hamilton was also a lighthouse keeper. Interestingly, Jack Hamilton's father was a lighthouse keeper, as was his brother David. Alfred also married into a lighthouse keeper's family.
Edward Rohu (1848-1941) and Alfred Rohu (1869-1961)
Edward and Alfred Rohu
Edward Rohu was born in Malahide, Co Dublin in 1848. His father, JV Rohu had been a naval officer and a coastguard. Edward joined the Trinity Board of Irish Lights in 1867 and served on most of the lighthouses on the south coast of Ireland including Fastnet Rock Lighthouse from 1896-1901. He is recorded as being chief lighteeper on Rock Island, Cork in 1907. Edward had five children, three boys, Alfred, Edward , Con, and two girls, Catherine and Elizabeth.
Alfred followed Edward, his father into the lighthouse service. In the 1901 Census he is stationed on Fastness Lighthouse in Crookhaven, Cork. In 1911, he was stationed at Castletownbeare in Cork. He served as assistant keeper on Fastnet Rock off the Co Wexford coast from 1917-1919. Alfred married and had two children, Gerard and Rita.
Alfred followed Edward, his father into the lighthouse service. In the 1901 Census he is stationed on Fastness Lighthouse in Crookhaven, Cork. In 1911, he was stationed at Castletownbeare in Cork. He served as assistant keeper on Fastnet Rock off the Co Wexford coast from 1917-1919. Alfred married and had two children, Gerard and Rita.
John (Jack) Hamilton (1872-1925)
John (Jack) Hamilton was born when his father, Rickard, was stationed on the Eagle Rock, Co Mayo. Jack followed his father into the lighthouse service. His posts included: South Aran Light, Co. Galway, October 1906-1907 and Rosslare Harbour, February 1924. He married Catherine (Katie) Rohu and they had five children, three boys and two girls. Jack was always a rebel, fighting for better conditions in the service. During the troubled times he was suspended from duty for refusing to take the oath of allegiance. He came under the unwelcome attention of the Black and Tans (his house was raided). He was an authority on bird life and several rare specimens found by both himself and his brother David (also in the Service) are in the National History Museum in Dublin. He was a personal friend of Major Ruttledge, a noted ornithologist. At 53, Jack died a relatively young man, from cancer of the colon. This may have been caused by using drinking water that had drained off a newly laid tar roof on a storage shed attached to a lighthouse.
Gerard Rohu (1921-1992)
Hook Head Lighthouse, Co Wexford
Gerard, grandson of Edward Rohu, also entered the lighthouse service. Gerry, as he was known, was associated with a number of south coast lighthouses including Hook Head (shown opposite) where he served as Assistant Keeper from 1948-1950. The Commissioners of Irish Lights magazine notes that the lighthouse on Tern Island (also known as 'Mini Slyne Head) was established by Gerry when stationed at Slyne Head, Galway, in the 1960s.
Seamus Rohu (1928-1956)
Seamus began his lighthouse career at the age of 18. For a period of time he was stationed at Loop Head, a land station on the west coast of Ireland. In the 1950s he was posted to Skellig Michael, where he served as Assistant Keeper with a colleague Harry Stanifort under Head Keeper Eugene Gillan. The Great Skellig is a precipitous craggy island situated 8 miles off the coast of Co Kerry in the south west of Ireland. When not on duty (an eight week station), he lived with his wife Lily and two small children on Valentia Island.
On Tuesday, August 22, 1956, as a storm pounded the Skelligs, Seamus was sent down to the landing stage by the head keeper to store an armful of ropes. The rope house was only a short distance from the main building and when Eugene the keeper realised that an hour and a half had gone by and Seamus had not returned, he began to worry. Both he and Harry ventured out to retrieve him, but no trace of Seamus was ever found. A transcript of a press report of the tragedy can be viewed here. A fuller account of the story can be viewed at this website.
On Tuesday, August 22, 1956, as a storm pounded the Skelligs, Seamus was sent down to the landing stage by the head keeper to store an armful of ropes. The rope house was only a short distance from the main building and when Eugene the keeper realised that an hour and a half had gone by and Seamus had not returned, he began to worry. Both he and Harry ventured out to retrieve him, but no trace of Seamus was ever found. A transcript of a press report of the tragedy can be viewed here. A fuller account of the story can be viewed at this website.