Electricity in the county before ESB
Sligo had electricity before the establishment of ESB in 1927. ESB’s annual reports record 5 local electricity suppliers in the county — that means 5 individuals or companies who had permits to commercially supply electricity to 3 or more homes and businesses in their local area. The reports do not record when each local supplier was first established, merely the number of consumers they supplied, as well as the year the supplier was acquired by ESB.
Sligo’s 5 local electricity providers were as follows:
- Ballymote Electric Light and Town Improvement Co. Ltd. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 90 homes and businesses in 1929, and was later acquired by ESB around 1937—1938.
- WG and T Pollexfen and Co. Ltd. began to supply electricity in Ballysodare in 1929, at first serving 25 homes and businesses, rising to 61 in 1957, when it was acquired by ESB.
- WAG Middleton began to supply electricity in Collooney in 1932, serving 137 homes and businesses. His supply was later acquired by ESB around 1957—1958.
- The Flanagan Bros at the Electricity Works supplied electricity in Riverstown before 1927, and served 86 homes and businesses in 1929. The company name was changed to Thomas Flanagan in 1947. It is recorded as serving 7 homes and businesses by 1949, when it was acquired by ESB.
- Tubbercurry Electric Lighting and Town Improvement Co. was in operation before 1927. It supplied 71 homes and businesses in 1929, rising to 96 in 1935, and was later acquired by ESB around 1936—1937.
Shannon Scheme: connecting larger towns and villages to the national grid
The Shannon Scheme first began to generate electricity for the national grid in October 1929, and began to supply the larger cities, towns and villages of Ireland. From 1929, 7 towns and villages across Sligo were directly supplied by the Shannon Scheme:
- Ballymote, 1937—1938
- Collooney, 1946
- Curry, 1937—1938
- Enniscrone, 1936—1937
- Gorteen, 1935—1936
- Sligo, 1929—1930
- Tubbercurry, 1936—1937
For more information on the connection of these towns, including the number of homes and businesses connected, see our Interactive Map.
Rural Electrification Scheme: connecting rural townlands and villages to the national grid
The Rural Electrification Scheme began in 1946, to bring electricity to Ireland’s rural areas, including smaller villages. During the roll-out of the scheme, Sligo was divided into 26 rural areas (This number includes 8 rural areas that cross Sligo’s county boundaries: Killasser, Co Mayo; Drumkeeran, Dromahair and Glenade, Co Leitrim; and Ballyfarnon, Cootehall, Kilkeevin and Breedoge, Co Roscommon). Learn more about the Rural Electrification Scheme.
For more information on the electrification of each rural area in County Sligo, visit our Rural Electrification Archive.
ESB Buildings in Sligo
In 2004 ESB carried out an inventory of its important buildings for its book A Heritage Inventory of ESB Buildings in Ireland.
View an extract from the book featuring the buildings listed in Sligo.