By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr On 13 August 1925, one of the most important undertakings for the economic and social life of Ireland began when the first sod was turned at Ardnacrusha, Co. Clare, for the construction of the Shannon hydroelectric scheme. It was officially opened at Parteen by W.T. Cosgrave on 22 July 1929. … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr Oonah Keogh was born in Dublin in 1903 and grew up on Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge. Her family placed a high value on education, which led to Oonah’s attending excellent schools both in Ireland and Britain. From a young age she had been very aware of the imposing and male-dominated financial … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr On 2 April 1925 the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) merged with An Garda Síochána (originally the Civic Guard) under a new act. The DMP was established under the Dublin Police Act (1836) as an unarmed, uniformed force of 1,000 day and night constables, along the lines of the London Metropolitan … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr Marriage was often afforded high status as a societal stabiliser in newly established states, and the Irish Free State, operative from 1922, was no exception. Unlike Northern Ireland, which adopted the parliamentary system of divorce, the Irish Free State provided no mechanism for private bills of divorce to proceed. Although … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr On 8 December 1924, the Dáil formally approved the merger of all railway companies in Saorstát Éireann to form the Great Southern Railway Company. During the revolutionary period the railways suffered considerably at the hands of all parties. In the 1916 Easter Rising, stations in Dublin were taken over by … Read more