Nine ‘Eire’ marking signs dotted along the Mayo coastline
By Tom Gillespie
I DON’T know how many of our readers have seen the ‘Eire’ markings around our coast.
In fact, there were 82 in all at Lookout Posts (LOPs), located at strategic points, every five to 15 miles along the Irish coastline.
Over the years I have seen two of the nine which are dotted on high vantage points in Mayo - on Achill and at Downpatrick Head in north Mayo.
The latter is very accessible, providing extreme care is taken, if visiting Dun Briste, near Ballycastle. It is close to the cliff top, so care needs to be taken when approaching it.
The Irish Defence Forces established a Coast Watching Service in the run up to World War II, during The Emergency, while, at the same time, the State remained neutral.
Between 1939 and 1942 the construction of 82 LOPs took place along the Irish coastline and the local volunteers (Coastwatchers) serving at these posts were responsible for monitoring the Irish coastline for belligerent activity at sea and in the air.
After the hostilities ended most of these buildings were abandoned and some were removed. Traces of a significant number remain in place, particularly at Downpatrick Head, and some are in relatively good repair. In general, structures in the more isolated locations have tended to remain in place.
Coastwatchers worked around the clock in pairs on eight- or 12-hour shifts. One man operated the telephone inside the LOP while the other patrolled outside. They had to report every activity observed at sea or in the air in the vicinity of their LOP.
Each LOP was assigned a unique identifying number starting with LOP 1 in Co. Louth and continuing in a clockwise direction around the coast, finishing with LOP 82 at Inishowen in Co. Donegal.
The Mayo LOPs were numbered 87 (Roonagh) to 65 (Kilcummin Head). The others are located at Corraun, Moytoegue Head, Blacksod Bay, Annagh Head, Erris Head, and Portacloy, Benwee Head.
Each LOP had to keep a record of any activity at sea or in the air, and a number of logbooks have survived and are held by the Irish Military Archive.
Following the construction of the network of lookout posts along the coast it was decided to add large signs marking the coast as EIRE. You can judge the size of the Eire sign from the attached photograph where the people visiting it are dwarfed by the huge letterings.
According to Michael Kennedy's book on the Coastwatching Service, Guarding Neutral Ireland, it was ‘a way to reduce the number of aircraft landing because their crews had lost their bearings'.
Kennedy's research indicates that these signs were constructed at the behest of the American authorities.
A number of signs such as the one at Cahore Point in Wicklow were built too small initially and so larger signs were built over them at a later stage.
The signs were meant to identify the land as Ireland for pilots crossing above it and they became navigational aids for British and American pilots.
The lookout post at Moyteoge Head, on Achill island, recorded the ditching in the sea of a Fairey Swordfish, pre-war torpedo bomber, with three airmen on board.
A rescue boat had to row three miles to pick up the survivors and take them ashore at Keem Bay.
It was in the early hours of Monday, June 19, 1944, the aircraft was observed by the Lookout Post at Moyteoge Head, Achill Island, half-a-mile south, circling. It later crashed into the sea at 7.32 a.m.
The Coastwatcher on duty, Volunteer Cafferky, called to his district commander in Castlebar to report on the events.
He was instructed by the District Officer to make arrangements to go to the assistance of the people who were seen to have abandoned the aircraft.
The district officer, Lt. Thomas P. Lyons, penned a report on June 23 to the Officer Commanding the Armies G2 (Intelligence) branch based at Custume Barracks in Athlone. This was in turn copied forward to the G2 Head Quarters in Dublin and read:
Sir,
I have the honour to submit the following report concerning the above.
At 07:40 on 19/6/44 I received a telephone message from Achill Head LOP to say that an aircraft had been seen to descend into the sea one-and-a-half miles south of the LOP at 07:32 hours that morning.
I instructed Volunteer Cafferky, who was on duty at the time, to inform Cpl. O’Malley (N.C.O. of the LOP), who was then on his way to the LOP to change the Watch, of the occurrence and to instruct him to procure a boat immediately and to proceed towards the scene.
Cpl. O’Malley obtained a boat from Michael McHugh, Dooagh, at Keem Bay, where McHugh and his crew were engaged in salmon fishing. McHugh and Volunteer Cafferky accompanied him in the boat to the scene.
The crew left the plane and took to rubber dinghies. They drifted with the outgoing tide with the result that the rescuers had to row some three miles before they picked them up safely.
By this time the airmen were very wet and the pilot was seasick. O’Malley and his assistants succeeded with some difficulty in bringing the three airmen and the rubber dinghies ashore at about 10:35 hours at Keem Bay. The Sergt. from Keel Garda Barracks and Rev. Fr. J.J. Langan, C.C., Dooagh, were waiting on the shore and Fr. Langan drove the three survivors to Achill Head Hotel in his car.
I arrived at Dooagh at 10:40 hours. and met the airmen on their journey to the hotel. I interviewed the pilot and obtained from him the names of the crew, which were as follows - Sub. Lieut. Jack Rooke (pilot), Sub. Lieut. John Charles Kearey and Leading Aircraftman William James Smith McRae.
Fr. Langan, representing the local Red Cross branch, obtained clothing and boots for all three. I ordered refreshments, meals, cigarettes, etcetera, for them and handed the bills to Captain Birthistle that evening when he arrived to take over the crew.
I enclose a bill for £5 (five pounds) received from McHugh and consider the amount reasonable in view of the facts stated.
I have the honour to be,
Your obedient servant,
Thomas P. Lyons Lieut.,
District Officer No. 12 District.