Tag Archives: Ardnacrusha Power Station

CONTROLLING the water levels on the River Shannon and the Head Race Canal continues to be a key aspect of Ardnacrusha Power Station, according to an experienced retired electrician. Looking back on his 44-year stint in Ardnacrusha, Francis Moloney (73) from Clonlara has outlined other statutory obligations staff fulfilled, apart from vital electricity generation. In the winter time, he recalled during high water levels Ardnacrusha was responsible for maintaining certain levels on the River Shannon. “People working up along the Shannon in places like Killaloe and Portumna would report what the water levels were to staff in Ardnacrusha where they are logged to determine the input into the River Shannon, which dictates what generation is going to be done at a particular time. “If the levels in the River Shannon go above the statutory level, you commence spilling of excess water down the Old River Shannon where people like Bertie Poole would operate the gates at Parteen Weir on behalf …

THE stark differences between the green landscape of the Loop Head Peninsula and the concrete jungle of urban India was graphically illustrated for John Bonfil during an overseas work assignment. In July 1992, the Moneypoint Power Generating Station mechanical fitter was offered an “opportunity of a lifetime” to work for ESB International Engineering on an 11-week secondment for the construction of a coal plant similar to the Killimer plant in India. The ESB’s equivalent in India, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC) needed a mechanical engineer with experience of working in a coal burning station to oversee the commissioning of their new ash handling project. Before his departure from Moneypoint, for what proved to be a “great experience” John received a company letter advising him to bring a number of items for his long trip. These included three notebooks, one clutch pencil with leads, two pairs of gloves, markers, three car magazines, one Irish Times, five bars of chocolate, five …

One of the greats of the game spent his working life at Ardnacrusha and ended up buying his home from the ESB, writes Dan Danaher LEGENDARY Limerick hurler, Mick Mackey enjoyed working in Ardnacrusha Power station for almost 50 years, according to his son, Michael. Mick Mackey was one of the greatest hurlers who has been repeatedly voted on to teams representing hurling greats, including at centre-forward on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984 and the Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000. While Mick Mackey is a household name in GAA circles, his strong association with Ardnacrusha isn’t as widely known. In addition to working in Ardnacrusha Power Station for five decades, the burly centre-forward also lived in an ESB house just a stone’s throw from the station for 29 years until his untimely death in 1982 at the age of 70. During his 17-year career with Limerick hurlers, he won three All-Ireland medals, five Munster medals …

From Cross village to Texas for gruelling US Navy training; from running festivals to nearly drowning in debt; from earthquakes in Manila to almost dying in Mondello, Danny Boland has experienced many highs and lows which he shares with Dan Danaher. WHEN he was working on major construction projects all over the world, Danny Boland always gave thanks for the training he received in Ardnacrusha Power Station. “It was the greatest training anyone could ever have,” says Danny, “It was unbelievable. I would not have been able to work on any of these projects without the ESB. The training and skills I learned in Ardnacrusha made all these jobs so easy. “If I ever ran into a problem on a job, I can pick up the phone and get advice from one of the ESB fitters or electricians I worked with.” “We were trained to weld, operate lathes, maintenance work, construction work, piping. I learned about five different trades in …

A STRONG case should be made to secure UNESCO designation for Ardnacrusha Power Station, according to a former fitter and national union organiser who worked for almost 50 years with the ESB. Seán Treacy enjoyed a long and distinguished career with the company, starting out as an apprentice fitter in 1960 before graduating up along the ranks to become a national union official. Mr Treacy believes the power station should be designated as a UNESCO site, saying “Ardnacrusha is an iconic place. At one stage, Ardnacrusha was the distributor for all the country. Workers in the control room turned on and off electricity for the whole country. “It is an iconic place. If I was still involved in the ESB, I would be making a case for this designation. It takes a while to do it, but Ardnacrusha deserves this designation.” Valentia Island is due to become a new UNESCO site within the next two years following work spearheaded by …

THE Cusack family has enjoyed a long association with Ardnacrusha Power Station and the Shannon Scheme. This was graphically illustrated when the ESB presented John Cusack with a framed photograph of the power station, marking his working life of 50 years when he celebrated his 90th birthday. The inscription on the photograph chronicled the fact John worked with Siemens-Schuckert from 1926 until 1977. In 1912, John Cusack was born in Parteen village and started work in the Shannon Scheme as a messenger boy at the age of 13 and also worked as a labourer before he got a job in the power station. The schoolmaster at Parteen National School allowed him to leave national school to start his new working life. At the time, John was living across the road from Parteen School and his cousin, Patsy Keegan told him there was a job opportunity going on the Shannon Scheme. John used to collect time sheets from German employees and …

  THE Hunt Museum in Limerick is co-ordinating a public appeal for people in South-East Clare to share their stories, artefacts and memorabilia concerning the construction of the world-renowned Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme. The Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme was one the first major developments by the Irish Free State in the 1920s. It played a pivotal role in the development of Ireland in the 20th century and paved the way for the social, economic, and industrial development of Ireland. The building of the Ardnacrusha Power Station is vividly represented in the Seán Keating painting, Night’s Candles are Burnt Out, which is on display in The Hunt Museum. During the construction of the plant, approximately 4,000 Irish and 1,000 German men lived and worked on-site at Ardnacrusha. Today, almost 100 years on a new group want to collect and share their stories. Working with the ESB Archives, Europeana, EuropeanExpo2020, the Hunt Museum Docents and Friends, the group hope to collect and share stories, …