Dubh Artach - Later Events

Later Events

  • In 1874 the principal keeper reported an incident which suggested that the rock had experienced an earth tremor but the tower stood fast.
  • Robert Louis Stevenson's connection with the construction of Dubh Artach and its shore station played a significant part in his 1886 novel Kidnapped during which the main character, David Balfour, experiences the dangers of the Torran Rocks and is marooned on Erraid.
  • In 1890 a distinctive red band was painted round the middle section of the tower to distinguish it from Skerryvore, 20 miles (32 km) to the northwest, which was served from the same shore station.
  • A dispute concerning the financing of lighthouses led to an 1898 visit to Dubh Artach of some prominent persons, including the President of the Board of Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Michael Hicks Beach.
  • The name of the lighthouse was changed in 1964 from Dhuheartach to the present form Dubh Artach. The reasons for this are not clear, although the latter is arguably easier to spell for anglophones.
  • The lighthouse was fully automated in 1971 and the following year a helipad was constructed to enable maintenance work to be undertaken without the need for perilous sea landings.

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