Talking about the green field site of Inniscarra Dam takes me back to day one. The people at senior level on the senior civil engineering team in the ESB were Frank Clynch and Brendan Brennan, a man who was superb engineer with very high standards. I [Ferdie O'Halloran] was one of the junior civil engineers.

It's difficult not to be impressed and touched by the Lee Scheme - the images of transformation, the real–life stories, the infrastructure, the work, the effort, commitment, emotion put into the project by all involved. It's always an added incentive for the quality of research when one gets to chat to those who were physically involved in the research topic.

During the construction of the Lee Scheme, the ESB saw that the contract was getting into trouble and there was a possibility it might never be finished or that it would run well over budget. This was pointed out to the contractors, and, after much intense discussion, it was decided to put Maurice Sweeney, a very capable engineer, in charge. From then on the work progressed very favourably.

In the Inniscarra Dam campsite, there was an oratory where Mass was celebrated every Sunday and holiday by priests attached to the Sacred Heart College in Cork. The hut housing the oratory, could also, by the use of parti¬tions, be used for recreational purposes. The suggestion of the erection of the oratory came from Mr. V. L. McEntee, Advisor to the Société de Construction des Batignolles and those associated with him.

It's easy to lose oneself in the geographies and human histories of the Lee Valley. I sat recently at the source of the Lee in the Shehy Mountains, looking at the blurb of water protruding from the ground. At its breakthrough to the air, it begins carving a route for itself. By the base of the mountain, the river gathers momentum and fills Gougane Lake before breaking free on route east, a journey this column is still following.

Workers on the Lee Scheme had to look for 'digs' in the area and stayed in every available place along the Lee valley. Many a housewife made a little extra money by keeping a few lodgers. Digs cost £2 per week as a rule. The engineering personnel were accommodated in Innisleena House where they were well looked after by Mrs. Cotter. The French personnel, who never numbered more than twelve, stayed in Cork where they lived an extravagant lifestyle.

By 1955, approximately three-quarters of the work on the construction of the Inniscarra dam had been carried out. The power station foundations had been poured and work was in progress in the erection of the superstructure. The excavation of the tailrace was nearing completion. The temporary culvert or river diversion was sealed with concrete. A gate was lowered to close the upstream opening. The reservoir was filled in November 1956. The filling was regulated by a temporary sluice gate.

Contracts for the whole of the civil construction works for the Lee hydroelectric development were in place towards the end of 1952. Work began on the construction of the dam in Inniscarra in February 1953.