On 7 December 1900, Superintendent Robert Muirhead, of the Northern Lighthouse Board said farewell to his 3 lighthouse keepers, James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald McArthur.

They waved him goodbye as he stepped off the East landing at Eilean Mor onto his waiting boat to take him back to the mainland.

The 3 lighthouse men were starting their next shift for 3 weeks on the island, taking care of the lighthouse and ensuring safe passage for the ships that passed by the Islands on the West Coast of Scotland navigating the often stormy and tempestuous Atlantic Ocean.

What Robert Muirhead didn’t know at that time as he watched the three men head off into the distance was that he would likely be the last person to see them alive.

The story surrounding the Flannan Isles Lighthouse has been a story of wonder and mystery for over a hundred years, what happened there and why?

Let’s find out more