Connecting Longford to the National Grid

Electricity in the county before ESB

Longford had electricity before the establishment of ESB in 1927. ESB’s annual reports record 2 local electricity suppliers in the county — that means 2 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 Longford on our interactive map.

Longford’s 2 local electricity providers were as follows:

Granard Electric Light and Power Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 75 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 87 in 1930, before the supply was acquired by ESB in July 1930.
Longford Electricity Works was in operation before 1927. It supplied 145 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 224 in 1930, before the supply was acquired by ESB in July 1930.

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, 6 towns and villages across Longford were directly supplied by the Shannon Scheme:

Ardagh, 1931—1932
Ballymahon, 1935—1936
Edgeworthstown, September 1930
Granard, March 1931
Longford, 1931—1932
Newtownforbes, 1939—1940

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, Longford was divided into 17 rural areas. More details on each of these areas is available here.