Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 12 December 2013
“Technical Memories (Part 64) – Electrifications and Emigrations”
Opportunities in engineering materialised further in the late 1940s, notably through rural electrification. In County Cork it was introduced officially on 23 December 1947. The Cork Examiner related that by throwing a switch at Curraheen, Henry Golden, a director of Electricity Supply Board, brought light to 100 houses in the Inniscarra area. This was the first rural electrification scheme to be put in operation in County Cork. Rural electrification had become a reality in Kerry a day earlier at Ballymacelligottt, four miles from Tralee.
When Mr Golden operated the Cork switch (which was on a pole), a lamp on the pole was lit and bulbs in nearby houses glowed in the “gathering darkness”. Thirty-two more houses were to receive their electric current supply soon after Christmas, and by March 1948, the 750 houses, which had contracted to take the supply in this area had the benefits of electricity. The switching-on ceremony at Curraheen followed a function at Inniscarra Hall, where the Inniscarra Branch of Muintir na Tíre, sponsors of the electrification scheme in this area, were hosts. Professor J Lyons, UCC, Chairman of the Regional Council of Muintir na Tíre, presided and extended a warm welcome to Mr Golden and Mr J Ware, district engineer of the ESB. He noted that “they had learned from history books and ballads of the dark and evil days in Ireland in the past. Freedom and liberty had come to Ireland in our time, and now the darkness was being removed from the lives of the people who lived in the rural areas”. Professor Lyons continued to highlight that electricity would make life “in the home more enjoyable and enable the farmer to get more work done in the short winter days”. It would also bring the necessary power needed for rural industries.
Great credit, Professor Lyons noted, was due to Muintir na Tíre for what it had done in paving the way for the ESB. He praised the work of the Mr P Moriarty, a national school teacher, from Clogheen, and Honorary Secretary of the branch. In addition, William Roe, national engineer-in-charge was praised as the man who had selected this area to be one of first to be electrified in rural Ireland. The final speaker was Mr Moriarty of Muintir na Tíre who stressed that the whole effort had been a co-operative one. They hoped in the future to get a scheme for rural craft going and intended to start a rural industry. They were in communication with a firm, which was interested and which might supply materials, and the people to train home workers, as well as selling the finished products.
The end of the war also led to new engineering opportunities for ship owners. On Friday 12 December 1947, Mrs F P Hallinan, wife of the Chairman of the Cork Harbour Commissioners, launched the new MV Innisfallen for the Cork-Fishguard at Dunbarton. She noted; “I name this ship Innisfallen, May God care and keep all who travel in her”. A bottle of champagne then hit the bow of the new vessel, with the tricolour on the foremast.
According to the Cork Examiner, the new passenger-cargo vessel had been built at the yards of Messrs Denny and Brothers, Ltd, Dumbarton, Firth of Clyde, for the British and Irish Steampacket Co., which operated the City of Cork Steam Packet Co. (1936) Ltd. This was the third Innisfallen. Her predecessor sunk at the mouth of the Mersey in 1940 after she had given excellent service between Cork and Fishguard for over ten years. The first Innisfallen was lost during World War I. The new vessel was built expressly for the direct Cork-Fishguard service. She took up her station in the early summer of 1948, a thrice-weekly run in each direction. A unique feature of the new vessel was a stabiliser, which would prevent rolling in bad weather. This would be the first vessel running between Britain and Ireland to have a stabiliser. In addition as World War II caused the loss of more than B & I vessel, it hastened developments in ship construction and aids to mariners. One of the most important of these was radar which the new vessel possessed.
The new Innisfallen had a green coloured hull and cream upper works, departing from the old black and white colour scheme of the City of Cork Steam Packet Company. The Innisfallen had accommodation for 950 passengers, with first class berths for 193 passengers and third class berths for sixty passengers. The cargo capacity was in the neighbourhood of 700 tons, and for the conveyance of perishable goods there was refrigeration between decks aft plus space for the conveyance of motor cars aft. Another feature of the design was that in the lounge and smoke room the lighting and ventilation fittings were combined, leading to a simplification of the architectural treatment of the ceilings. In the deluxe cabins and the forward sections of the first class accommodation, thermostat control was installed for individual adjustment of room temperature.
To be continued…
Kieran’s new book (with Dan Breen), West Cork Through Time, is now available in shops and on Amazon.
Caption:
721a. Poster advertising the Innisfallen, c.1950 (source: Cork City Library)