I [Jack Sheehan] was born in 1919 on Dunbar Street, Cork but my family moved shortly afterwards to Blackrock Road and were there for a good many years. I went to school in the South Monastery. I served my time with the ESB in Albert Road, where the old Tramway Company was located. I started there in 1939 in the installations or contracts department. We specialised in installing electric motors and wiring houses. The other departments - operations dealt in overhead wiring and public lighting whilst the meter department installed the meter.

Staff group shot, acceptance tests for turbines and generators at Inniscarra 1958; I (KMC) have published this picture before but I publish it again with 75 % of the names, kindly helped by the memories of Jack Sheehan and Donal O'Halloran (see last week). Back row: Flor Deasy (weldor), Gerry Power (fi tter, Waterford), 'Corny' O'Callaghan (helper, local), Unknown, Mr O'Connell? Standing centre row: Diarmuid O'Shea (Electirical engineer who became Station Superintendent), Jack Higgins (Supervisor, St Luke's Cork), Donal O'Halloran (electrician, Cork), John Shine (local), John Reidy (helper, Cork), John 'Leary (worker, looked after turbines and their lubrication), Denis / 'Dinny' O'Mahony (worker, Blarney), Unknown, Tim Deane ('The Chauffeur', brought out the offi ce staff in the morning). Second row: John Murray and Jack Sheehan (electrician, Cork). Front row: Willie Walsh (Midleton), Terry Deasy (helper), Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Tom Clifford (Electrician, Cork), Unknown; Joe Carr and Cyril Foley were also part of this group but are not in the photo. (Any help with missing names, appreciated, KMC).

My department was run by JJ Ryan from Northern Ireland. The supervisor was Maurice Desmond, who lived in Castle View Terrace on the Lower Road. Where I lived on Blackrock Road was Hubert Launders who was one time Chief of the Cork Tramways Company. He had come over to Cork from England to start the company. He was a top engineer in his day. The ESB had taken over the Tramway Company in the 1920s. The ESB then appointed their own engineer William Roe, a Kilkenny man, who wore thick glasses, had a bubbly personality and was well built man. In Cork, he lived in Ardfoyle Avenue, Beaumont. He became known as a 'District Engineer'. In later years, he was chosen by the ESB to head up the rural electrification scheme of Ireland. Mr. Hannah replaced him as district engineer in Cork and was there at the beginning of my time.

I became an apprentice in 1939. I remember the other apprentices in my department, Gus Connolly, Finbar Cronin and Con Donovan. There was two other apprentices too- Tom Mason and Hubert Hughes, who were in the cable jointers section. During our time as apprentices, we were sent to Dublin for three months for four years to Kevin Street Technical School – we were put up in digs. I remember seeing radios at the time stating "Stand me on my feet". It was a term that William Roe used to us when we came up to Dublin. We had never been outside of Cork, no mind coming to or living in Dublin.

At the end of four years, the ESB told us that they wouldn't keep us on – they informed us they would take us back if we got three years experience. I got a job with Tom Millard on Oliver Plunkett Street. Tom had worked in the Cork Tramway Company as an engineer. The silent partner was Fred Bolster. We did maintenance work for firms such as Sunbeam Wholsey and Beamish and Crawford. I remember wiring Matehy Church in Inniscarra. We also wired pubs- I remember wiring the Olympia on the Lower Road, which was been wired for the first time.

I spent ten years with Tom Millard and then went back to work for the ESB. At that time, the ESB were changing from direct current to alternating current. They carried it out for free but it meant that every motor in every factory had to be changed as well as re-wiring some houses. The section in the ESB set up with the changeover employed a lot of outside electricians. The direct current generators in the powerhouse in Cork depended on the transport of raw materials, Coal fire boilers created steam to drive generators. This was a very expensive business. The place was lined regularly with horse and carts of coal, drawn from ships from Albert Quay. This was a messy process even to dispose of the ashes were costly. Alternating current was generated free from the River Shannon at Ardnacrusha. Siemens from Germany did the turbine work at Adnacrusha. There was a high cost involved in buying coal from England. Rural electrification had started as well. Meters had to be installed in houses.

For the Lee Scheme, my first job was to put up lights along the wall at the top. I remember the turbine room, the alternator over that and the control room over that. Rooms had to be lit, drilling through concrete was done using diamond tipped drills. Joe Carr was supervisor on Albert Quay. Originally from Cobh, he was the boss man of the installation of lighting and the control cables to transformers by the compound. He built two bungalows by the tailrace. Jack Higgins lived in one. I remember Herr Leitil, the head electrical engineer from Voiths. I also remember Diarmuid O'Shea who was the station manager. He lived just past the Canon's Cross in Inniscarra. From his house, you could see the Inniscarra station upstream.

At the end of the time on the Lee Scheme, Diarmuid O'Shea told me there was a job in Kilbarry, Cork. At the same time, whilst calling into St Francis Church, I met Eddie Murray, who was working on the Whitegate Oil Refinery for Lumas who were the principal contractors. Eddie said I should look into getting a job down there. I did and got a job. I remained on in Whitegate after its construction and retired from there in 1984.

I also remember the foreman electrician on the Lee Scheme, John Looney from Coachford who also moved to Whitegate. He moved down with his actual timber hut to Rostellan and had it done up with a plaster finish. It's still there near Cloyne Cross and overlooking Rostellan Lake.

To be continued…

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