Electricity to rural No. 1 - the beginning of Ireland’s quiet revolution

From 1945 and into the 1950s in Ireland's economic history has been described as post-war recovery and gloom and doom respectively, leading to the 1960s golden age. However, despite this gloomy outlook, with some delays attributed to the Emergency, a ‘quiet revolution’ kicked off in late 1946. That revolution was the Rural Electrification Scheme (RES) of the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, a scheme designed to bring electric power to every village in Ireland. While some academic research has addressed the RES, detail on specific locations and effects is lacking, which is surprising given the effects the scheme had on life and economy in rural Ireland. Drawing on archival evidence, existing history texts, media and some oral histories, this paper explores the story of the first village to receive power under the RES, namely the village of Oldtown in County Dublin. This story is largely untold, and in particular, why this village was the first is explored. The benefits of electric power to rural homes and farms are also detailed. In the case of farming, early shoots of today's thriving tillage and horticultural activity typical of North County Dublin are apparent.