In June 2026, we were fortunate enough to be given a private tour to photograph Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station, located along the River Shannon north of Limerick, with thanks to the ESB – Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board.
The power station was constructed between 1925 and 1929 as part of the wider Shannon hydroelectric scheme, and was both a feat of cutting-edge engineering and a symbolic leap into electrifying modern Ireland after its independence in 1922. The newly-formed Irish Free State had inherited a nation stricken by conflict and bankruptcy, and Ireland consumed the second-lowest percentage of electricity in western Europe. It sought to harness the River Shannon for a domestic source of electricity to support the country’s economic development – described as a ’quiet revolution’.
The Shannon scheme itself is Ireland’s largest river hydroelectric scheme, and comprises a purpose-built headrace canal which spans approximately 7.5km and connects to the River Shannon. A dam at Parteen channelled water from the Shannon via the canal towards the power station at Ardnacrusha, harnessing the energy generated. The project cost about £5.2 million, which was equivalent to about one fifth of the Irish state’s annual budget. It was not a cheap or light undertaking and it came at great risk and controversy, but its success proved that the new government was able to push itself forward through ambition in otherwise frugal times. Around 5,000 people worked on the project, with camps and railways being constructed simply to facilitate it.
The Electricity (Supply) Act of 1927 established Ireland’s own national grid (110 kV) to accompany the scheme and distributed electricity across the whole country, as well as being transformed to 38 kV for local distribution. This national grid formed the ESB, which continues to power Ireland today, and Ardnacrusha was its first hydroelectric power station. Ardnacrusha is a place of national historic significance, yet it also continues to play a very significant role today, still operating its original infrastructure today. A modern copper-faced digital control room was added in 1996 to the south end of the turbine hall to supplement the original at the north.
When we first arrived at Ardnacrusha and looked out from the dam across the enormous power station, we said how German the building appeared in its drab modernist style of architecture, characteristic of pre-war European buildings. This was probably assisted by more imaginative thoughts of German lookouts and searchlights during a Dambusters raid, which would not have seemed out of place here. This European look at Ardnacrusha represents the political zeitgeist of its time; a rejection of traditional British conventions, and a turn towards wider European trends in architecture which tended to be more experimental.
Once we got talking to our tour guide Dermot, he explained that Ardnacrusha was indeed a collaboration of German and Irish design and construction. The project was proposed by Thomas McLaughlin; an Irish engineer who worked for well-known German-company Siemens-Schuckert. The power station became a blend of German and Irish design and efforts. Siemens supplied its three vertical-shaft Francis turbines (1929) and one Kaplan turbine (added 1934). Much of the labour used to build Ardnacrusha was Irish, although around 150 skilled workers from Germany were brought in to complete Ardnacrusha.
The architectural jewel in Ardnacrusha’s crown is its sublime control room, which alongside the turbine hall would have been built to be looked at. This was an era when industrial architecture was designed to impress dignitaries and make a statement not only to the nation, but to the world, that this was at the cutting-edge of technology. Whilst its control room may be relatively small compared to larger power stations of its era, its semi-circular design featuring a strikingly tall and smooth ceiling reflects an Art Deco elegance. Its modern aesthetic is one of simplicity, for a set of controls seemingly so complex. Its size and feel is not dissimilar to that of Kraftwerk Plessa I visited in Germany in 2023, also with Siemens-made equipment of the same era. The control room alone makes a statement – that Ireland could not just keep up independently, but set a standard.
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