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THE SINKING OF THE GERMAN U-260 SUBMARINE
OFF GLANDORE HARBOUR
DURING WORLD WAR 2
by
GERALD BUTLER
 
THURSDAY APRIL 30th AT 8pm
CLONAKILTY GAA PAVILION, AHAMILLA
 


The U–260, which was one of the most modern German submarines during World War 2,
sank on the 12th of March 1945.  All 48 sailors on board, under Captain Klaus Becker, survived the
experience. This talk, which will be delivered by Gerard Butler, will commemorate all those
involved, including the local coast watchers at Lookout Post 27 (LOP 27) at Galley Head.

Gerald Butler is an historian and co-author (with Patricia Ahern) of the memoir The
Lightkeeper. Descended from lightkeeping grandparents and parents, he followed in their
footsteps, serving as a lightkeeper in numerous lighthouses until automation brought his
career to a close in 1990.  He is still employed as a part-time attendant lightkeeper at Galley
Head Lighthouse. For more than 30 years he has lectured on the history of Irish lighthouses.
In 2017 he was conferred with an MA in Local History by University College Cork.

Documentary: Historic Coastal Village of Timoleague

As part of Heritage Week 2022, Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage visited the historic coastal village of Timoleague which is situated at the mouth of the Argideen river estuary.  To take us back over the centuries our guides are Diarmuid Kingston and Michael O’Mahony.

Documentary: Three Local Stories

Produced as part of Heritage Week 2021, this documentary tells three stories. The first part is the history of Lisselane Estate and in particular two of its owners – the infamous landlord William Bence Jones and in more modern times, C. O. Stanley. The second section concentrates on Kilgarriffe old cemetery and some of the many important individuals and families interred there over the last three hundred years or so. The final section of the video highlights Ring Village and the nearby Ballintemple Graveyard, detailing the importance of Ring as a port and the 800-year history of the cemetery wherein lay the remains of Tadhg an Asna among other notable names.