YOU can forget about all the expensive gadgets and fancy TVs – there’s only one item that Dúlra really values.
The funny thing is he got it for nothing and it’s probably worthless – but not to him.
A few years back he got a call from a friend working on Black Mountain. “I don’t know if you’d be interested in one of the big lamps from the UTV aerial – it’s been sitting in a shed here unwanted for ages and it’s going to be thrown out,” he said.
The sentence was barely finished before Dúlra was in the car and heading towards Hannahstown.
Most things in life have a monetary value – you know exactly what it costs to, say, buy a new phone or a microwave. But the truly valuable things can’t be bought – like a family photograph or a gift from a relative no longer with us.
Or, in Dúlra’s case, a lamp from the Black Mountain aerial.
On his way in the car to Black Mountain, he had no idea how big the lamp actually was. At night you can see them – five in total – from miles away on the giant aerial, their red lights a warning to low-flying planes. They certainly are bright – but are they big?
Well, thankfully as you can see here, it was small enough to sit snugly on the passenger seat – Dúlra was so happy with himself that he immediately took a selfie. In fact his new cargo was so precious he felt like putting a seatbelt on it!
There was no bulb in it, but he quickly got that sorted. He didn’t have the LED array that is used to warn pilots – thankfully – and so he simply put a household lamp socket inside with a weak 40 Watt bulb. He plugged in it and – hey presto – the living room suddenly turned red – totally red! It seemed to drown out any other light!
It seems that, no matter the strength of the bulb, the ridges in the plastic lampshade are designed to magnify the light – low-flying planes will be avoiding Dúlra’s house!
Thís week Dúlra was under the aerial – as he is most weeks. The view over Belfast from here is stunning. This aerial sure is high – 750ft – dwarfing the two BBC ones on Divis which were erected after it.
Built in 1959 for UTV, it now transmits other stations including RTÉ, TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta, mainly to the area beyond Lough Neagh.
It used to be a regular destination for us as kids – “anyone fancy heading up to the aerial”, we’d say – and off we went without a second thought or even mentioning it to our parents.
An hour or so later – having chased a few hares and found a few nests – we’d be sitting under it, trying to pick out our homes down below.
But even looking up from the street, that aerial was always fascinating – at least for a young Dúlra.
Every so often someone would spot the bravest soul on earth – a man climbing to the top. We’d look up from the city in awe. “He must be changing the bulbs,” someone would say.
The famous Black Mountain aerial
Let's hope he got paid well for what must be one of the country's most terrifying jobs!
Every night as the sun set, those five lights would magically pierce the black sky. It was like having a Christmas tree at the top of your street.
Having one of those lamps at home is like having a bit of the mountain itself. Sure, I’ve plenty Black Mountain trees and shrubs in the garden – grown from berries collected while out walking – but the lamp is different.
It’s warm, reassuring, familiar.
In good weather when you can sit outside late at a barbecue or get-together, Dúlra uses an extension lead to place the lamp in the garden, bathing everyone in a glorious red glow like from the setting sun.
And at least they can enjoy a burger and drink knowing they are safe from low-flying planes!
* If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting, or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.
