Tommy worked on Butt bridge, Foynes and on the erection of Kenmare bridge. He was County Engineer in Clare prior to the foundation of the company. John Paul worked with the civil engineering construction company, McLaughlin and Harvey. He had worked on the Erne scheme, the Silent valley scheme in County Down and Shannon Airport.

The Electricity Supply’ Board’s valuer visited each landholder and a certain amount of compensation was offered. Naturally, this first offer was refused – several other visits followed and a long procedure of haggling ensued until agreement was eventually reached (reluctantly on the landholder’s side) or in the absence of agreement the matter had to go before the arbitrator.

The compensation paid varied according to the type of land being acquired. The price varied from £25 per acre for poor land to £100 for good arable land. According to the Cork Examiner, good land was going for £70 per acre at the time. Of course the arbitrator and the landholder did not always agree on what was arable land. In some cases the farmer’s own testimony was used against them in deciding this. When compulsory tillage was introduced in 1940, the farmers had to till a certain percentage of their arable land. Tillage inspectors visited each farmer to ensure that the required acreage was cultivated and to decide what portion of the holding was arable. Then, when the ESB wished to acquire the land, the valuer visited with information on what was deemed arable and what was not.

Not satisfied

The acquisition of land took a long time, as agreement could not always be reached. In most cases the hydro scheme was well advanced before settlements were attained. It did not hold up the progress of the work as the ESB had the power under the 1945 Act to enter the lands as long as they gave the required month’s notice. That action upset some farmers who felt it was a rather high-handed approach. On the other hand, if the Board had to wait until all settlements were made, the scheme might never have started.