Connecting Monaghan to the national grid

Electricity in the county before ESB

Monaghan had electricity before the establishment of ESB in 1927. ESB’s annual reports record 10 local electricity suppliers in the county — that means 10 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 Monaghan on our interactive map.

Monaghan’s 10 electricity providers were as follows:

Ballybay Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd. was in operation before ESB was established in 1927. It supplied 102 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in January 1931.
Carrickmacross Lighting Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 186 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 203 in 1935, before the supply was acquired by ESB around 1935—1936.
Castleblaney Light and Power Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 164 homes and businesses in 1929, and was later acquired by ESB around 1938—1939.
Clones Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 308 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in June 1929.
C McCluskey began to supply electricity in Emyvale in 1935, at first serving 19 homes and businesses, rising to 46 in 1946. The supply was later acquired by ESB around 1949—1950.
David Patton began to supply electricity in Glaslough in 1945, at first serving 8 homes and businesses, rising to 14 in 1949, when it was acquired by ESB.
Monaghan Lighting Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 194 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 331 in 1937, when it was acquired by ESB.
J and J McCaldin at the Supply Stores supplied electricity in Monaghan before 1927. It supplied 4 homes and businesses in 1929, when it was acquired by ESB.
James Boylan and Sons began to supply electricity in Mullan in 1949, serving 23 homes and businesses, and was later acquired by ESB around 1951—1952.
Edward Campbell began to supply electricity in Rockcorry in 1958, serving 11 homes and businesses, before being acquired by ESB around 1958—1959.

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, 7 towns and villages across Monaghan were directly supplied by the Shannon Scheme:

Ballybay, 1932
Carrickmacross, 1935—1936
Castleblayney, 1938—1939
Clones, 1931
Drum, 1943—1944
Emyvale, 1949
Monaghan, 1937—1938

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, Monaghan was divided into 23 rural areas. More details on each of these areas is available here.