Ardnacrusha marks 100 years of powering Ireland

August 2025 marks a century since work began on one of the most ambitious engineering projects in Irish history, an undertaking that brought electricity to rural Ireland, spurred industrial growth and transformed the nation’s economic and social landscape.

The Shannon Scheme was unprecedented in scale and ambition. For a time, Ardnacrusha was the largest hydroelectric generating station in the world and remains a landmark of 20th-century engineering. Pioneering in its use of concrete, steel and advanced turbine technology, it reflected the determination of a young State to shape its own future.

That legacy is now being celebrated in A Bolt out of the Blue, a specially curated exhibition commissioned by the National Built Heritage Service in partnership with ESB, with photographs from the Photographic Unit of the National Monuments Service.

Claire Quane, Head of Renewable Operations at ESB, said Ardnacrusha stood as “a testament to what can be achieved when vision meets engineering excellence”. The Shannon Scheme, she said, had transformed Ireland in ways “almost unimaginable” in 1925, and its example remained relevant as the country moved towards a net zero energy system.

Minister of State for Heritage, Nature and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan said the collaboration between the National Built Heritage Service, the National Monuments Service and the ESB was a fitting way to mark the centenary. “Ardnacrusha and the Shannon Scheme were groundbreaking for Ireland in terms of scale, engineering and the modernisation of the country brought about by electrification,” he said. The photo exhibition would, he added, “help to ensure that its legacy is remembered for generations to come”.

The exhibition invites visitors to explore a defining chapter of Ireland’s past while reflecting on how its legacy continues to influence the nation’s energy future.

Bookings for tours can be made at www.esb.ie/ardnacrushatours, where visitors can also find accessibility information and check available dates.