Connecting Tipperary to the national grid

Electricity in the county before ESB

Tipperary had electricity before the establishment of ESB in 1927. ESB’s annual reports record 14 local electricity suppliers in the county — that means 14 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 Tipperary on our interactive map.

Tipperary’s 14 local electricity providers were as follows:

Mulcahy, Redmond and Co. Ltd. supplied electricity in Ardfinnan before ESB was established in 1927. They supplied 6 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 14 in 1948, before the supply was acquired by ESB around 1948—1949.
Glenwilliam Co-op Dairy Society Ltd., Ballingarry, was in operation before 1927. It supplied 62 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB around 1930—1931.
Borrisoleigh Co-op Dairy Society and Electric Light Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 7 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in July 1930.
Cahir Electricity Supply Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 137 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 145 in 1930, before the supply was acquired by ESB in January 1931.
Carrick Motor and Electrical Engineering Works, Carrick-on-Suir, was in operation before 1927. It supplied 13 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB around 1930—1931.
John Browne of Main Street, Clogheen, supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 68 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 91 in 1949, before the supply was acquired by ESB around 1950—1951.
Clonmel Corporation supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 177 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in March 1929.
J Pattison at the Electric Light Station, Cloughjordan, supplied electricity before 1927. It supplied 75 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB around 1929—1930.
Martin Gleeson also began to supply electricity in Cloughjordan in 1933, serving 83 homes and businesses, rising to 105 in 1950 when the supply was acquired by ESB.
Munster Electric Lighting Co. supplied electricity in Fethard before 1927. It supplied 80 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in October 1929.
Nenagh Gas and Electricity Supply Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 223 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 283 in 1933, when the supply was acquired by ESB.
Nugents Ltd. began to supply electricity in Newcastle in 1950, serving 5 homes and businesses, before being acquired by ESB around 1953—1954.
Roscrea Bacon Factory Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 290 homes and businesses in 1929, falling to 251 in 1930, and was acquired by ESB in October 1930.
Thurles Urban District Council was in operation before 1927. It supplied 251 homes and businesses in 1929, and was acquired by ESB in March 1929.

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, 21 towns and villages across Tipperary were directly supplied by the Shannon Scheme:

Ardfinnan, 1948—1949
Ballina, 1930
Ballingarry, 1937—1938
Birdhill, 1937—1938
Borrisokane, 1937—1938
Borrisoleigh, 1931
Cahir, 1931—1932
Carrick-on-Suir, 1929
Cashel, 1929—1930
Cloughjordan, 1950—1951
Clonmel, 1929—1930
Fethard, 1930
Killenaule, 1943—1944
Lorrha, 1937—1938
Nenagh, 1933—1934
New Inn, 1935—1936
Newport, 1929—1930
Roscrea, 1930
Templemore, 1929—1930
Thurles, 1929—1930
Tipperary, 1929

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, Tipperary was divided into 57 rural areas. More details on each of these areas is available here.