Ardnacrusha and the Shannon Scheme
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Where: Munster, Clare, Ireland
Try to find the spot where the photographer was standing.
When: 01 September 1951
Try to find the date or year when this image was made.
From the Power(full) family in Waterford to the Shannon Scheme’s great ending at Ardnacrusha, Co. Clare. We have visited here before, and this O’Dea image shows much of the superstructure of the power station.
+++ UPDATE +++
Thanks to Suck Diesel for the gem that Ardnacrusha was (briefly) the biggest hydro-electric station in the world, until that pesky Hoover Dam opened in 1930, and knocked Shannon off the top spot.
Photographer: James P. O'Dea
Collection: O’Dea Photograph Collection
Date: September 1951
NLI Ref.: ODEA 5/34
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 7893
+++ UPDATE +++
Thanks to Suck Diesel for the gem that Ardnacrusha was (briefly) the biggest hydro-electric station in the world, until that pesky Hoover Dam opened in 1930, and knocked Shannon off the top spot.
Photographer: James P. O'Dea
Collection: O’Dea Photograph Collection
Date: September 1951
NLI Ref.: ODEA 5/34
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 7893
jamespo’dea
o’deaphotographiccollection
nationallibraryofireland
ardnacrusha
parteen
coclare
ireland
shannonscheme
powerstation
hydroelectricpowerstation
esb
electricitysupplyboard
shannonriver
dam
headrace
tailrace
clare
munster
electricity
penstocks
generators
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O Mac
Another 'powerful' picture
cargeofg
Can't see an Austin Cambridge anywhere and it was not closed 2or3 years after MrO'Dea visited.
sharon.corbet
The ESB has a booklet all about Ardnacrusha and the Shannon Scheme. This building houses the actual generators: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/scorbet/49962177598] Here's the other side of the building with the penstocks: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/scorbet/48530701847] You can normally go on a tour of it during the summer months (I went last year), but this year looks unlikely.
CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY
www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography/26119470944/ www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography/26781992481/
cargeofg
A couple more from The NLI archive www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/6285223545/in/photolist-a...
cargeofg
www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/5559554194/in/photolist-a...
cargeofg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scorbetDinowig at Llanberis North Wales works the same as Poulaphouca in Co Wicklow. Been to Dinowig (Electric Mountain) twice. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography Nice photo with the Peltor cups and field coil winding's in the foreground.
BeachcomberAustralia
Here is a bit of fun. CanalView goes into the lock on the far right of this photo, and up and away. It gets 'stuck' in a few places, but nudge the little yellow man on the left diagram - goo.gl/maps/kx719ZpKpVxDzeNe7 Ed. Or a short film if you prefer - youtu.be/np7FrpwfP1o It is a wonderful art deco temple to the gods of power and water...
cargeofg
It would appear from Wiki that there was a Shannon power station near to Waddamana A plant [https://www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddamana_Power_Stations
O Mac
I suspect O Dea was there to look at what was left of the Ardnacrusha branch railway that ran alongside the tail race from Longpavement on the Limerick Athenry line. This line terminated on the spot where he took the photograph. The Shannon Scheme Railway esbarchives.ie/2017/02/06/irrs-tour-of-ardnacrusha-septem...
BeachcomberAustralia
Excellent poster, "Bus fare 4/- ... Guide's services free", when being built. Via https://www.flickr.com/photos/coniecto/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/coniecto/15452076372/ Also of interest - via the other https://www.flickr.com/photos/yournlireland/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/yournlireland/8967226500/in/photolist-2j83Et6-eEpo2s-aUf1rX-azppZc
suckindeesel
Biggest hydro-electric station of its time, until the 1930 opening of the Hoover Dam. Cost 20% of the Free State annnual budget and kicked off our industrial development, now it supplies just 2% of Ireland's needs. Doubtful if it could be built today, given its negative impact on the Shannon and its salmon fisheries, which never fully recovered. It must have been seen as giving the two fingers to our former colonial masters, to choose a German company over one of the many British companies available. I'm thinking subsequent trade wars and economic repercussions here, particularly to our agricultural exports to Britain.
suckindeesel
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography Some nice shots of an 'old school' generating station.
suckindeesel
Link to a series of Siemens technical reports on the building of the site esbarchives.ie/2017/01/31/shannon-scheme-reports-1926-1929/ May be of interest to those of an engineering bent. There were three types of worker accommodation provided: The best for Siemens own employees, second best for the Irish engineers and managers and lastly poor quality huts for the local labour, somewhat reminiscent of a type that we only later got to know too well.
suckindeesel
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Spot on, there had to be a railway connection for him to visit here.
O Mac
cargeofg It's a very well know fact that Mr James O'Dea drove a pre-war Morris Eight Series 1 when he took the above photo in 1951.. This is his car at Recess in 1951. catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000303592/MooviewerImg?mobile... Morris Cambridges didn't appear until 1954..three years later.. when it comes to O Dea's cars... facts are important. :) BeachcomberAustralia would surely agree? .
CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY
www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ Thanks, guys. I know my contribution was not necessarily relevant to fact-finding about the Library photo, except the Hydro Waddamana Power Station attracted workers and expertise from around the world. No doubt Irish workers were among them, considering Van Diemen's Land was a British Penal Colony, that saw many famous and not so famous Irish transported here, for "Sedition" and petty crimes (poaching and stealing a loaf of bread and some eggs or clothing, as examples) that would barely garner a slap on the wrist by a Magistrate, in today's world. Tasmania, Ireland, and America will be forever linked.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Ouch, the poor Australian will take a while to recover from that one!!!!!!
BeachcomberAustralia
💡 I think Mr O'Dea went to the power station in a Voltswagen. He rented it from Hertz. Watt do you think?