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Stories trip effortlessly from the lips of Richard Foran, keeper of the lighthouse on Skellig Michael, as he describes the singularity of the keeper’s life and remembers various adventures, including the night he came to the rescue of Charles Haughey. MIRIAM MULCAHY, with photographer VALERIE O’SULLIVAN, were fogbound on the rocks for three days – but had a whale of a time

In theory, it sounded like a fine idea. We’d do an article about the lighthouse keeper of Skellig Michael, Richard Foran. And we’d go out with him on the helicopter! It would involve just a short trip on a summer’s day, suggested the photographer, Valerie O’Sullivan. We’d have a wander around, I’d get my story, she’d get her pictures, we’d have an absolute blast, job done. In practice it was something else entirely. August became September, and was deferred again, until we ended up going out at the end of October. Our day trip became an overnight stay, with instructions to bring food and sleeping bags.