Area: Gortnahoo
Started: December 1954
Finished: May 1956
Poles used: 1518
Line used (km): 141
Premises connected: 280
The figures above were sourced from our REO News magazine, to learn more about what these figures mean, visit our interactive map. The map above shows the area boundary and is from a digitised version of the original map used during the scheme.
The REO News from July 1956 tells us that a shop in Gortnahoo was rented and used as a showrooms
This digital scan from the REO News displays the following text:
"Gortnahoe Rural Area, Co. Tipperary:
We congratulate Mr. J. A. Vale and his crew in Gortnahoe on having done a fine job of construction in that area. The original return was estimated at 6.02% but a supplementary authorisation reduced this figure to 5.83%. In actual fact the crew did an excellent job and their final return was 6.21%.
It is interesting to note that the 13 kms. of backbone line were built in the experimental horizontal construction. Lying as it does from Littleton bog to the Slieveardagh Hills, there was a certain amount of constructional difficulty, which would come under both classifications – hard and soft.
Mr. T. Poole, A.O., in addition to his successes on the consumer side, also did more than very well on sales with a total of £2,067. A shop in Gortnahoe was rented and used as a showrooms and this contributed largely to the successful total. The area had the advantage that it is remote from any town, and that competition from local traders was not as keen as usual. Among the principal items sold, we noted 9 pumps and 23 washing machines but only 2, 3‑plate cookers. Mr. Vale tells us that poor cooker sales were mainly due to the fact that both turf and anthracite are readily available in the area. It is interesting to note that one consumer in the area won a complete electric kitchen in the fashion competition in a well‑known Sunday newspaper some time previously. When switched on, she connected up all the appliances except the cooker??
Prospects for post development in the area are not very good but in one or two years’ time, there should be some scope for sales of pumps and grinders. It is not expected that consumption of electricity in the area will ever be very high as a large portion of it is not at all prosperous territory."