The Lighthouse

by Keith McCloskey

What really happened to the mysteriously vanished lighthouse keepers of the Flannan Isles—a true story, evocative of The Shining On December 26, 1900, the vessel Hesperus arrived at Eilean Mor in the remote Outer Hebrides with relief lighthouse men and fresh provisions. Staffed by three keepers, the lighthouse had been in operation for a year, but no light had been seen from Eilean Mor for 10 days. Upon arrival, the superintendent, Robert Muirhead, found the lighthouse to be completely deserted, and a subsequent search of the surrounding island failed to show any sign of what happened to the keepers. The last entry in the lighthouse logbook had been made on December 15, and contained a number of strange and distressing entries that offered clues as to the mental state of the men. One was reported to have been crying, while another had become "very quiet." When it was revealed that the men's oilskin coats were missing and the clock in the lighthouse had stopped, inevitable theories surrounding the keepers' fates were soon put forward. These included a giant wave washing them away, murder and suicide by the men themselves, and more esoteric explanations, as Eilean Mor was believed to have mystical properties. This book explores this mysterious and chilling story in depth for the first time and reveals a shocking conclusion.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Mystery, Scotland, Maritime, Paranormal

232 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much of this book wasn't even about the Lighthouse Tragedy. Lots of crackpot theories and digressions and ultimately not very mysterious. Seems pretty obvious the ocean was the culprit. Not nearly as interesting as his book about Dylatov Pass. Perhaps because the incident happened so long ago.

[Alana Cash · Rating 2 out of 5]

The write-up on this book sounds intriguing. A mystery. But the book does not deliver on that. The book meanders all over the place, starting with a description of the life and work of the lighthouse-keepers, the UK bureaucratic structure, and the building of lighthouses, etc. "Myths" about the Eilean Mor (misspelled in the write-up above as Elian More) lighthouse are mentioned, but not explained. It takes far too long to get to the actual occurrence on Eilean Mor which the author fictionalizes at first - three men disappear. I kept waiting for a payoff - what actually happened to the men - but no one knows.

The book ends with a chapter on various murders and madness in lighthouses around the world. I would have enjoyed more a chapter about all of these occurrences, including Eilean Mor, rather than an incohesive 200-page narrative of history, poetry, letters, that isn't about a mystery.

However, as tangled as the narrative is, I did learn about lighthouses and their keepers which is a subject that interests me.

[Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this book was really informative in the beginning about just what lightkeeper duties entail, but really, "I digress" was the motto for this book.

While I really did learn a lot from the first few chapters, and came to the realization that I did not in fact want to be a lighthouse keeper, the author really went off-point and on crazy tangents at times. As I got further into the book I also started noticing copy-editor mistakes, spelling errors and un-capitalized sentences and the like, as if it was a rush job.

While I appreciate the different theories put forth to explain the men's disappearance - giant waves, murderous intent, outright supernatural occurrences - the author really digressed into obscure accounts of some of these things and it just started to sound rambling. The, uh, sources were intriguing, but not always applicable, so it's like research was done - but not particularly well-aimed.

I managed to finish, which really says something given my propensity to abandon the boring this year, but this wasn't a great book.

[Mark A Simmons · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible : poorly written and structured, long passages which I found less than relevant, numerous factual mistakes, and no real grip on the core of the supposed mystery. Avoid.

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love a good unsolved mystery and the mystery of Eilean Mor’s missing lightkeepers is one that captured my interest the moment I first heard about it. On the surface, it seems to be an open-and-shut case. The weather was bad on the day that the three keepers – James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and William MacArthur – disappeared, so obviously they were just washed away by a freak wave, right? It seems to be the most plausible theory, but, as Keith McCloskey explains in The Lighthouse, it’s a theory that isn’t without a plethora of unanswered questions.

The rule was that if two keepers were outside, the third keeper had to remain inside the lighthouse. What would drive all three of them – two of whom were seasoned keepers – to not only ignore this rule, but to put themselves in a position where they could be washed away by a wave? Furthermore, it was evident upon investigation that one of the keepers had ventured out into the wild weather without his oilskin coat. What was so pressing that he didn’t even have time to don his coat? They may well have been ripped off the island by a freak wave, but it’s apparent that there was a lot more to the circumstances leading up to this event than investigators at the time realised.

McCloskey not only discusses these possible circumstances, but also other theories as to how and why the keepers disappeared, never to be heard from again. These theories range from murder/suicide to the supernatural and McCloskey goes to great lengths to explore the plausibility of such theories. In the section on the murder/suicide theory, he provides readers with different case studies from around the world that look at the psychological effects life as a lightkeeper can have upon a person. Essentially, he gives readers the information needed for them to draw their own conclusions as to what happened to the Eilean Mor keepers and this is one thing that I liked about The Lighthouse. As opposed to telling readers what to believe, the book encourages them to decide for themselves.

Another thing that I liked about the book is the fact that McCloskey dispels the myths surrounding the case. Despite the fact that the book’s blurb references the fictionalised final entry in the logbook, this myth, as well as others, are laid to rest in The Lighthouse.

My only real criticisms are the numerous typos and the fact that it felt a little dry and unnecessarily long-winded in places. The book isn’t self-published and I feel as though editors at The History Press publishing house should have picked up on a majority of the typos, such as sentences beginning with lower case letters. Part of my job involves editing, so it could be argued that I only noticed a lot of the typos because looking for errors is part of what I do on a daily basis. With regards to me finding the book somewhat dry in places, I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, so this could simply be down to the fact that I’m more accustomed to the faster pace found in fiction.

[Katherine Coble · Rating 1 out of 5]

This gets 1 Star because I didn’t like it. Others may. It’s a good look at what being a lighthouse keeper entailed before the advent of electrified and computerized lighthouses. But the blurb promised a creepy story a la the shining. This wasn’t that. This was instead a regurgitation of silly theories combined with a dry recitation of What I Learned About Lighthouses.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched & went on many different tangents that I personally enjoyed, but I did end up skimming parts. My favourite parts were probably all the different stories of individual lighthousekeepers

[ForenSeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, detailed book that speculates with what may have happened to those three lighthouse keepers who mysteriously disappeared decades ago. Not for the beginner; if you're new to the case, read a Wikipedia article first, or listen to one of those mystery podcast episodes. The author knows his stuff, and communicates ir convincingly. Recommended for mystery buffs.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read about one of Scotlands most intriguing modern mysteries.

I ofcourse subscribe to the angry angry octopus theory, which is hitherto UNRESEARCHED and UNMENTIONED in this "book"

[Kevin McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been meaning to read this ever since I read about it in Peter May's Coffin Road. I had no knowledge of the incident prior to May's book but it intrigued me to find out more.

For those who don't know - in 1900 three lighthouse men disappeared off the face of the earth whilst working at the Eliean Mor lighthouse and a number of myths have grown up around this incident. There disappearance was only noticed when a ship sailing past noticed no light but it was some days later before it was reported to the appropriate authority.

A support vessel was dispatched and no trace of the men was found. Everything in the lighthouse was in order although only two of the men had worn the appropriate clothing to go out in a severe storm. The other had left his coat behind. They kept a log and there did not seem to be any issues at all.

Interestingly, there was absolutely no police involvement in this investigation and it was left to the Superintendent of the Northern Lighthouse Board to do the necessary.

The author gives a great insight into the working conditions of lighthouse workers and the conditions they faced and the sort of weather conditions that would have been faced in the Flannan Isles. He also goes on to talk about the boredom and psychological conditions that the men would have encountered.

All in all this was enjoyable even though the author cannot tell us exactly what happened but no-one can!

[Alethea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first heard the story of the missing lighthouse keepers of Eilean Mor on the podcast ASTONISHING LEGENDS. Three men, alone on this island, simply vanished in December of 1900. No signs of a struggle or of foul play, just the silence of sudden and unexplained absence. The story seemed more compelling at first, I suppose, because the mind naturally wanders to wild explanations for these men's disappearance; however, it appears that most who have studied this case accept that the men were most likely swept from the island by one or a series of rogue waves. Tragic, but not supernatural. McCloskey was interviewed on the podcast, and he certainly has studied this story in great depth. Unfortunately, his book was poorly written and did little to convey his passion for the mystery.

[Nicola Montague · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shade too dry and repetitive. I understand background information on how lighthouses were ran day to day is relevant, likewise the weather conditions but the entire first half of the book consists of this rather dry information repeated several different ways whilst the actual theories as to what happened take up a little over a quarter of the book and seems to be somewhat cursory.

[Jo-Ann Duff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been obsessed with the true story and mysterious disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers of Eilean Mor since I saw the movie The Vanishing starring Gerard Butler a few months ago.

The lighthouse keepers were in three’s as one was ALWAYS meant to remain at the lighthouse at all times. On a night on or around the 15th December, something went horribly wrong for the three men and they disappeared off the face of the earth. Did someone come to the isle uninvited? Did a large wave take all three men during the bad weather recorded at the time? Did one go mad due to the isolation? Why did one man leave and venture out into severe weather in just his shirt sleeves? Was there really a last entry in the log about one of the men crying?

The Lighthouse is an interesting read, but it isn’t as the book jacket and blurb suggests. There isn’t too much to reveal, or new revelations to be found in this book and the shocking conclusion, the main reason I bought the book, is non-existent.

What Keith McCloskey does deliver is a great insight into the set up of lighthouses and the life of a lighthouse keeper in 1900s and well-researched coverage of the incident at the time. The first half of the book covered this in-depth and kept me reading, but then the focus shifted and I began to skip the odd page. Popular opinion about the missing men is that a large wave and the severe weather was to blame for a tragic accident. It does close everything up nicely and for me, it’s a little too convenient, however, I didn’t need to read a whole chapter dedicated to giant waves and how they work. I felt this chapter became nothing more than filler pages.

For a crime that happened in 1900, it’s clear that most evidence is lost to time and assumptions have been created and layered with village gossip and handed down stories. But, there are many historical crimes and stories investigated today which have details and intrigue and suspicion. The Lighthouse’s light faded in the last third of the book, particularly with one of the last chapters explored a supernatural element. McCloskey’s writing even began to lilt towards the end and it felt like he was out of steam and just trying to get the book finished.

I got a lot out of The Lighthouse, but I feel the book jacket and write-up set my expectations way higher than the pages delivered. I thought I would get answers on a story which has really got under my skin, but instead I came away with more questions.

The search continues!

[Tore Ketil · Rating 3 out of 5]

What could be more mysterious than the sudden disappearance of three experienced lighthouse keepers from Eilean Mor, a remote island in the Outer Hebrides, in the year 1900? When a relief team finally came, they found an island devoid of people, and a lighthouse with living quarters where everything seemed normal. The mystery of "Mary Celeste" could be evoked as a similar case.
What had happened? Had the loneliness on the island made the three men go mad and jump into the ocean? Had they been abducted by aliens? Or by the Flying Dutchman passing by? Or sucked down into the depths of the ocean by Cthulhu's evil tentacles and served as human food for the Deep Ones from Devil's Reef? None of these dramatic alternatives seem to explain the tragedy, but any hint towards the probable solution will make me guilty of publishing spoilers. (I'm just trying to make this review readable.)

Suffice to say that I read the whole book with interest. It contains a lot about local history, the folklore of the Scottish islands (in particular some intriguing legends about "pigmies"), about the lives of lighthouse keepers in the Victorian era (and other eras), the speculations that followed the disapperance etc. There is solid research behind it all, and McCloskey has a no-nonsense approach to his writing. But he lacks a little flair&flow. Here and there I got the impression that the book had been padded out with information that is barely tangential to the case in question just to make it book-length. There is also much repetition of the known facts.

I would have given this book 3 and a half stars, if I knew how to give half-stars. As it is, I give it 4 stars for the research and 3 stars for the writing. And it ends with 3 stars because it lacks proofreading. Lack of proofreading is not a good thing. Why don't authors sit down and read through their own books a final time to correct mistakes before they send them to printing? Not worth the time and effort? It's just a book? I'm just a reader and I don't deserve any better?

[Christopher Blosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prompted to read this after watching the movie thriller “The Vanishing” (2019) — don’t watch the trailer as it basically gives away the plot, but I really enjoyed it. Learning that it was based on a true story and having an interest in lighthouses in general, I picked up this book in hopes of learning more about the mystery of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse at Eilean Mòr.

The author’s work is arguably the most comprehensive exploration into the history of the lighthouse and the island itself and the mysterious disappearance of its keepers on the night of 15 December 1900 — exhaustively so, from the perspective of this reader. One is treated to all aspects of the story, from biographical details to the daily life and duties of lighthouse keepers in general, every shred of relevant correspondence, meticulous explorations of the prevalent theories (one of which is the most plausible).

The experience of reading is reminiscent of Melville in the author’s ability to immerse himself in lengthy encyclopedic digressions into minute aspects of this-or-that topic relating to the lighthouses, which while indisputably informative, bear only a tangential relationship to the mystery itself.

The 2019 movie is recommended for its entertainment — the book for readers possessing abundant patience and unquenchable curiosity.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR since reading Emma Stonex novel The Lamplighters which was inspired by the events in The Lighthouse The Mystery of the Eileen Mor Lighthouse Keepers.

Ultimately no one will ever know exactly what happened that day of 15th December 1900 but it’s likely not that mysterious as a possible reconstruction in Chapter 2 following the Ocum’s Razor principle indicates that the men were swept away by a giant wave. What made this book of interest was the authors research around the disappearance.

McCloskey looks at the geography of the Flannan Isles and a detailed description of life of the lighthouse men at the turn of the century. He delves into the Giant Wave theory and the science behind how they form and land. McCloskey also goes into detail about the aftermath of the disappearance and the investigation of Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) and also looked into the lives of the relatives of the missing men and those colleagues who were also involved.

While the Giant Wave theory is the most likely cause of the disappearance McCloskey also looks at other at other theories put forward in particular that of murder of two men by a third. It’s thought unlikely in this case but the author does look into the psychology of the men who could live this isolated lifestyle and refers to the murder that took place on Little Ness in Southern Scotland. He also delves into the folk law and supernatural stories of the islands which have been linked to the disappearance.

In someways this book could have been more of a pamphlet and it did feel at times that the author drifted too far from the actual disappearance but I found it interesting to learn more about the life of the lighthouse men and in particular that light.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book was an instruction manual on how to eat toast, it would start with planting wheat.

I began this book with the expectation of a mystery/thriller, which was maybe naive on my part, but what I got was a very detailed insight into the organisation and function of the Northern Lighthouse Board through the 19th and 20th centuries, plus some naval anecdotes.

The book does look at the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, and there are definitely parts that are interesting, but much of book is filler and background, that maybe does loosely serve to illustrate a point but is overall not super interesting.

The filler is necessary probably because there’s not really enough to talk about in terms of the disappearance itself. There’s conjecture, peppered with anecdotes of known misadventure at other lighthouse stations, but no real answers in terms of this mystery. Realistically, we don’t know what happened, and there is no way we can know, which begs the question, why write a book about it?

That said, if you’re into naval/lighthouse history or Scottish folklore this might be an interesting read for you

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly interesting book which provides several theories as to what happened to three lighthouse keepers who disappeared on the Flannan Isles in December of 1900.

McCloskey goes into several theories from the logical, a large wave which swept the men into the sea, madness brought on by ergotism after eating tainted bread, and the more illogical theories such as a cryptoid or ghostly influence on the island taking the men away.

I really found this book interesting and it helped me learn more about the incident. Personally I agree with the giant wave theory as to my eye this fits the evidence best.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in lighthouse history, the mystery of the Flannan Isles or anyone interested in indulging their inner Sherlock Holmes and using McCloskey's evidence to draw your own conclusions.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t finish it. I stopped in the middle of the fourth chapter. It was getting so boring! The only thing that was interesting was the third chapter which reenacted the disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers. (Spoiler alert: a large wave overtake them while they were trying to fix a crane in the middle of the storm which is what I thought too). The author went all over the place about the history of the island, the lighthouse, and lighthouse keepers in the first two chapters. Who cares?!?
I couldn’t finish the fourth chapter of the discovery of the missing lighthouse keepers. It just dragged. I didn’t even want to bother reading the rest of the book which talks about other theories like the supernatural or murder. If I ever want to learn more about the Eileen Mor lighthouse mystery, I think I’ll just stick with a YouTube video or documentary, thank you very much!

[Paul Stansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the mysterious disappearance of the lighthouse keepers who lived and worked on a tiny, isolated rock off of Scotland in 1900. It covered the incident itself, and the investigations that followed. As well as a comprehensive look at what it meant to be a lighthouse keeper of the time period. I thought this was pretty good overall. The author manages to include a good amount of information and detail, yet in an interesting, readable way. The investigation itself was a little thin, but that is not the writer's fault, since information was so lacking. I didn't necessarily agree with all of the author's conclusions, but still, definitely worth a read, for those who like non fiction historic mysteries.

[Alasdair MacCaluim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much has been written about the Flannan Isles lighthouse disaster but over the years many exaggerations and inaccuracies have worked their way into the story. McCloskey's book goes back to original sources to look at what really happened. The Lighthouse doesn't just look at the Eilean Mòr mystery, however, but looks at the world of lighthouses and lighthouse keepers in general and gives us a detailed account of what life was like out at sea on these lonely outposts. A great read with an engaging writing style.

[Babz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and well written though the pigmy tangent goes on a little longer than necessary. I like that even though the author is clearly a sceptic in supernatural theories, he is willing to research and discuss them anyway. The conclusion is a little weak, but it was never going to be definitive with the lack of evidence. The book raises more questions than it does answer them, and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much, because it further perpetuates the mystery. 5/5 for depth of research and enthusiasm for the topic which comes through in the writing style.

[T.G. Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard about the Eilean Mor lighthouse mystery, and watched a few YouTube videos on the subject. At the beginning of his book, Keith McCloskey states it is his intention to present all available evidence to the reader so they may draw their own conclusions, and that is precisely what he does. It is evident a great deal of meticulous research has been conducted, and McCloskey presents it in a clear, unsensational way. If historical mysteries fascinate you, I recommend reading this book.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read & sheds a great deal of light on the mystery, although in parts the technical aspects are a little hard to grasp. I’d recommend newbies to the case reading a more basic introduction first & then progressing to this much more detailed book. The ending gives a very plausible conclusion & I applaud the author on his research.

[Ruskoley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, fairly interesting and a good description with background of what this business was all about. Even-minded writing that avoids flights into fantasy. However, there are some VERY long segments that are beyond tangential - to the point where they seem less like relevant data and more like page-fillers. Learned a bit, though, and glad to have read it.

[Marilyn Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, It has been highly recommended. However, I thought that the structure of the book was too broad and that the very last paragraph threw it all into conjecture, again. I do think that it evoked a way of life that's passed and it drew on various other phenomena and circumstances, but I felt that this was just padding.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is how a book delving into a mystery should be written!! It examines ALL theories, not just the most salacious or what will make the best story. Mr. McCloskey has done an extensive amount of research on lighthouses and lightkeepers of the time and it shows. Very well done and I would absolutely read more of his work.

[Joseph Sobrido · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good detailed documentary about the lighthouse.

Not a story as many might think but rather a true incident that occurred. It should be read as a documentary.

[William Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but much repetition. It was good to hear that the Light Service did somewhat take care of the widows and families.

[Ramakrishna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very short and very boring.
I never thought that the disappearance of three Lighthouse keepers in a faraway island would be written so dryly.