Connecting Dublin to the national grid

Electricity in the county before ESB

Dublin had electricity before the establishment of ESB in 1927. ESB’s annual reports record 15 local electricity suppliers in the county — that means 15 individuals or companies who had permits to commercially supply electricity to 3 or more homes and businesses in their local area. The reports do not record when each local supplier was first established, merely the number of consumers they supplied, as well as the year the supplier was acquired by ESB.

Click here to view Dublin on our interactive map.

Dublin’s 15 local electricity providers were as follows:

Artane Industrial School supplied electricity before 1927, serving 1 home or business before being acquired by ESB around 1933—1934.
Ashtown Tin Box Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 2 homes and businesses in 1929, before the supply was acquired by ESB around 1932—1933.
Dublin Corporation supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 12,930 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in March 1929.
Dublin United Tramways Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. The number of homes and businesses is unrecorded, and it was acquired by ESB in March 1929.
Dun Laoghaire Urban District Council was in operation before 1927. It supplied 719 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in January 1929.
Hammond Lane Foundry Co. Ltd. of 111 Pearse St, Dublin began supplying electricity in 1930, serving 49 homes and businesses. The company changed ownerships to PS Sparling of Buckingham House, Buckingham St, Strand, London, in 1932, and was acquired by ESB around 1932—1933.
Mrs Irene C McDowell of Mabel Villa, Finglas, supplied electricity before 1927. She supplied 4 homes and businesses in 1929, and was later acquired by ESB around 1930—1931.
Kilteragh Development Co. Ltd. supplied electricity in Foxrock before 1927. It supplied 27 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB around 1929—1930.
Great Northern Railway Company (Ireland), supplied electricity in Howth and Sutton before ESB, serving 10 homes and businesses. It later changed its name to the Great Northern Railway Co. (Ireland) in 1936, and to Coras Iompair Eireann in 1959. It was acquired by ESB around 1960—1961.
We have a record of a local electricity supplier in Lucan, however, the name of the company and the number of homes and businesses it served is unrecorded. It was acquired by ESB around 1937—1938.
Pembroke Urban District Council supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 3,030 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in March 1929.
Rathfarnham Manufacturing Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 75 homes and businesses in 1929, falling to 8 in 1949, when it was acquired by ESB.
Rathmines Urban District Council supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 3,727 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in March 1929.
Skerries Electricity Works was in operation before 1927. It supplied 212 homes and businesses in 1929, and was later acquired by ESB around 1939—1940.
W Flanagan also began to supply electricity in Skerries in 1933, initially serving 313 homes and businesses, rising to 392 by 1939. The supply was acquired by ESB around 1940.

Shannon Scheme: connecting larger towns and villages to the national grid

The Shannon Scheme first began to generate electricity for the national grid in October 1929, and began to supply the larger cities, towns and villages of Ireland. From 1929, 57 towns and villages across Dublin were directly supplied by the Shannon Scheme:

Artane, 1935—1936
Ashtown , 1932—1933
Balbriggan, 1929—1930
Baldoyle, February 1931
Balgriffin, 1939—1940
Ballybrack, 1929—1930
Ballydowd, 1937—1938
Ballymun, 1947—1948
Blackrock, November 1929
Blanchardstown, 1934—1935
Bluebell, 1939—1940
Booterstown, 1929—1930
Castleknock, October 1930
Chapelizod, November 1930
Clondalkin, 1932—1933
Clonsilla, 1936—1937
Coolock, 1934—1935
Dalkey, November 1929
Donabate, 1937—1938
Dublin City Centre, 1929—1930
Dundrum, 1929—1930
Dun Laoghaire, 1929
Finglas, 1929—1930
Firhouse, 1932—1933
Foxrock, 1929—1930
Howth, May 1930
Kill O’Grange, May 1930
Killiney, 1929—1930
Kilternan, 1952—1953
Kimmage, November 1929
Knockmaroon, 1937—1938
Larkfield, 1929—1930
Loughlinstown, 1932—1933
Lucan, 1937—1938
Lusk, 1932—1933
Malahide, 1929—1930
Milltown, 1929—1930
Palmerstown, 1937—1938
Pembroke, 1929—1930
Portmarnock, 1936—1937
Raheny, January 1931
Rathcoole, 1935—1936
Rathfarnham, November 1929
Rathmines, 1929—1930
Rush, 1929—1930
Saggart, 1935—1936
Santry, 1935—1936
Shankill, 1932—1933
Skerries, 1934—1935
Stepaside, 1939—1940
Stillorgan, 1929—1930
Sutton, May 1930
Swords, 1929—1930
Tallaght, 1933—1934
Templeogue, 1932—1933
Terenure, November 1929
The Ranch, 1936—1937

For more information on the connection of these towns, for instance relating to the number of homes and businesses connected, see our connections map here.

Rural Electrification Scheme: connecting rural townlands and villages to the national grid

The Rural Electrification Scheme began in 1946, to bring electricity to Ireland’s rural areas, including smaller villages. During the roll-out of the scheme, Dublin was divided into 11 rural areas. For more information on the Rural Electrification Scheme, click here.