Liam and Brud recall old days

Former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and Brud Skehan recalled old times yesterday — when they were both young boys, 83 years ago.

In fact, a particularly special old time, Jul 22, 1929. And at a very special place for the fledgling Irish Free State.

Brud, then aged 14, that day cycled on a rickety old bike from the family farm at Bridgetown, east Clare, to Ardnacrusha to witness the official “swiching on” of the hydro power station, then a wonder of its time.

Liam Costgrave, a 9-year-old school boy, travelled from Dublin with his father, WT Cosgrave, president of the Executive Council, who officially opened the power station.

The young Liam was accompanied by his brother Michael, aged 7, and their mother Lousia.

Due to the danger of the times, in the aftermath of the Civil War, the Cosgraves travelled in a state car under a heavy armed escort.

The historic event was revisited yesterday when Taoiseach Enda Kenny, along with ministers Michael Noonan, Pat Rabbitte, and Jan O’Sullivan, led a special commemoration at Ardnacrusha to make the 85th anniversary of the founding of the ESB in 1927 and the opening of the power station two years later.

To mark the role of the Cosgrave family in the building of Ardnacrusha, Liam Cosgrave was guest of honour.

And as he walked into the power station, he was reintroduced to Brud Skehan.

Brud recalled: “I remember playing with the two Cosgrave brothers when their father was making his speech as the opening was taking place. There weren’t many there, as politics came into it. The only people at the opening were the real Blues who turned up. Our family were true Blues. I came over on my bike from Bridgetown about eight miles away. It was a wet day.”

As Liam and Brud looked at an official picture taken at the opening, the sharp as ever former taoiseach spotted an error in the photo caption “There is a minor mistake here. It says that person is Paddy McGilligan [government minister in charge of the project at the time], but it is Joe O’Reilly. Then, next to him is a Dr Lawlor from Bunclody and his wife and then my mother. The other boy is my brother, Micheal,” he observed.

During an unscripted address to guests, who included the German ambassador, Dr Eckhard Lübkemeier, Mr Cosgrave recalled his boyhood visit to Ardnacrusha.

“The people in charge were talking about when the switch-on took place, if the water would flow. It meant nothing to me, but I’m sure it had been tried plenty of time beforehand.”

M Rabbitte smiled wryly as the former taoiseach took a verbal swipe at Labour icon Jim Larkin, who Mr Cosgrave said had, along with a group of trade unionists, tried unsuccessfully to cause trouble on the Ardnacrusha site.

Mr Cosgrave recalled the 5,000 men (4,000 Irish and 1,000 Germans who worked with Siemens) who built the station. “It was a pick and shovel job,” he said.

Twenty-nine died during the four years of construction from 1925 to 1929. And like the men of Ardnacrusha in those days, Liam Cosgrave, now 92, swung a shovel-full of earth to secure a newly-planted tree to mark the occasion.

Then, after an informal lunch, Liam Cosgrave and Brud Skehan bade their goodbyes. Till another day, another place.