Michael Shiel, The Quiet Revolution: The Electrification of Rural Ireland (The O’Brien Press, 2003).
ISBN: 0-86278-841-2 (hardback)
ISBN: 0-86278-840-4 (paperback)
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Synopsis
‘…the greatest social and economic revolution in rural Ireland since the Land War.’
The bringing of electricity to rural Ireland, begun in the 1940s, was a quiet revolution that transformed the lives of rural dwellers. This book is an entertaining and detailed account of those events. It tells of the plans, the financing, the organisation, materials and problems, the celebrations, and the contributions of the many different people who made the project possible. It brings the spirit of the times to life and recaptures the enthusiasm and sense of awe that greeted this new source of energy and the beginning of modern life in Ireland.
My dad (Michael Shiel) would have been thrilled with this wonderful website. He was very proud of his role in rural electrification In the 40’s and 50’s. Writing this book was a labour of absolute love!
… and a very good read. Michael’s grandson, also Michael, quoted the book as one that influenced him when he was interviewed for his place at Oxford University to read Engineering.
Anne May, née Shiel