CIGS Colloquium – 100 years Ardnacrusha & the Shannon Electricity Act
On 4 July, CIGS in collaboration with Siemens Ireland and the ESB held a one-day Colloquium commemorating 100 years since the passing of the Shannon Electricity Act on 4 July 1925 and the inception of the Shannon hydro-electric power station. The day started in UL with the official opening by the Mayor of Limerick John Moran with further contributions by Minister of State Timmy Dooley, T.D.; Prof Kenneth Stanton (Dean Science and Engineering, UL); H.E. David Gill (German Ambassador); Aiden Cawley (Simens Ireland); Sean Hegarty (ESB) and Prof Gisela Holfter (CIGS, UL). After this, the day continued with a look at the significance of Ardnacrusha from an engineering, architectural and marketing perspective (with contributions from Prof Tom Cosgrove, Dr Jan Frohburg and Prof Deirdre McLoughlin). This was followed by a short break and more contributions looking at the literary, artistic and cultural memories and repercussions (address by Emeritus Jean Monnet Chair Joachim Fischer, Dr Sorcha O’Brien and Associate Prof Maire Ni Ghrada). During the lunch break guests had the unique opportunity to access the exhibition on Ardnacrusha in UL’s Special Collections with a welcome by Ciara McCaffrey (Director Glucksman Library) and an introduction by the Head of the Special Collection. Ken Bergin. After the break a roundtable focussed on the impact and legacy of Ardnacrusha, with speakers including H.E. David Gill (German Ambassador), Aiden Cawley (Siemens Ireland), Sean Hegarty (ESB), Stefanie Ziska (CEO German-Irish Chamber of Industry & Commerce) and Simon Dauber (COO Allianz Global Life). For the hands-on part of the day the group left for Ardnacrusha where a guided tour was provided. This added a firsthand experience and insights into the past and present working power plant discussed during the day. The many facets of this truly interdisciplinary (and booked out) event led to enthusiastic feedback and plans are now underway to prepare a book publication to appear in 2026 in the Irish-German Studies series.
