Dam nation – An Irishman’s Diary on the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric scheme and the media in the 1920s

When it was announced in 1924 that the Irish government had come to agreement with a German engineering company, Siemens-Schuckert, to build a hyrdroelectric scheme at Ardnacrusha, there were many objections.

One of the first off the mark was The Irish Times, which protested against the involvement of the Germans, stating that relations with Britain would be damaged. Irish engineers were also up in arms, maintaining that they had not been asked to become involved, and fuel suppliers maintained their livelihood would be affected. The English government did not take too kindly either to the news. It was a few short years after the horrors of the first World War, and the British feared the presence of such a powerful German engineering company on their doorstep was not healthy.

The British press also rowed in, with the Daily Mail condemning the alliance with a headline, "German intrigue in Ireland – bid for economic control". The paper claimed that this "Siemens syndicate" was plotting to use the electrical scheme as a Trojan horse to set up Ireland as a German-controlled state on Britain's doorstep.

Objections

Also objecting to the building of the scheme was none other than Éamon de Valera, later to become taoiseach and president. “My party would not have started such a gigantic scheme as that,” he stated, “but would work on a scheme on the Liffey which would satisfy the people of Dublin, and then train their own engineers, and later have it linked up into a grand general plan instead of bringing in Germans for work of that kind.” Dev was of course, on the Opposition benches at the time.

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There were also many preconceptions about the building of the scheme, still the greatest engineering feat in the history of the State. A letter to the Limerick Leader, signed "Clareman", claimed that "the Shannon river and the power that came from it belongs to Co Clare and no one else has the rights to it".

There was a feeling, often expressed in letters to the Leader, that Limerick City, situated as it was so near Ardnacrusha, should get the electricity cheaper than the rest of the country! This of course, proved a fallacy, and was typical of some of the outlandish notions that were bandied around about the scheme at the time. Ironically, the supply of electricity for Limerick turned out to be more costly than that of the rest of the county, an imposition that incensed members of the city council.

The most outrageous claim of all came in an English newspaper, the London-based Morning Post, which stated "that the scheme would generate more electricity than the country knew how to use – there would be so much current, Irish people may all be electrocuted in their beds"!

Then there were those who saw major benefits accruing from the scheme. A hugely optimistic Franciscan priest, Fr Philip, told a packed audience in a lecture in the Atheneum in 1927 that £2,000,000 could well be earned by workers which would go into every shop in Limerick. He added a warning: “I hope not too much of it will find its way into the public houses.”

A Limerickman was to play a major part in the financing of the scheme. The government at the time did not know where the money to finance the project was to come from. Along came a knight in shining armour in the person of Michael Cooke, a native of George’s Quay, and president of the National Bank of Ireland. Over a cup of tea in Cruise’s Hotel, he agreed financial terms with Irish government officials to the tune of £5 million. For a country just three years into its statehood, this was a colossal sum (a fifth of the entire national budget). A former general manager of the Bank of London, Cooke turned down a knighthood before he left England.

Contrary to all reservations and objections, the scheme was officially opened in July 1929 by WT Cosgrave.

Engineer Thomas McLaughlin’s acumen and tenacity triumphed in the end, despite the rocky road he had to travel.

While the success of the scheme has been well acknowledged, it came at a high price. With such a colossal project, involving 5,000 workers at its height, blasting and moving thousands of tons of soil to build the canals, and poor safety standards, it was not surprising that accidents were numerous, many fatal.

The list of injured ran into hundreds, many of them serious, with the loss of limbs a regular occurrence. In all, it was estimated that 33 workers lost their lives, with another 14 in related accidents.

Compensation

Many of the workmen’s compensation awards to the injured were derisory compared to today’s compensation awards. Loss of life awards to dependents averaged £300, and even allowing for the value of money then, this was a derisory figure, as was compensation for those with loss of limbs.

In some cases, after reviews, awards were reduced to a pittance: James O’Neill, from two shillings and sixpence to sixpence per week, and Timothy Long, reduced to a penny per week. A 16-year-old messenger boy on the scheme from Thomondgate, James Markham, was electrocuted when, out of curiosity, he put his finger into a live bulb socket and died instantly. His father claimed £300 as compensation for the loss of his son, but Judge McElligott dismissed the claim.