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ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
Aug/Sept 2011 www.esb.ie/em
Ardnacrusha Appreciations
Michael (Mossie) O’Riordan
John (Jackie) Keane
Dan Flannery
Three retired members of Ardnacrusha staff, all highly respected and each larger than life characters in their own right, passed to their eternal rest in recent weeks.
Mossie O’Riordan joined the Civil Works Department of Ardnacrusha as a Dayworker in June 1948. In 1966 he was appointed to a permanent staff position and remained there until March 1988 when he retired.
Mossie held a number of duties including Storeman/Yardman for the CW Depot at the Mill Yard in Killaloe, and Plant Operator. A recognised expert on all Mossie also performed the highly important task of Divers’ Assistant to John McEvoy and the late Michael (Spike) Nolan who became life long friends. He also worked as Skipper’s Assistant on the Tug Boat and Barge to John McEvoy. These responsible duties earned Mossie the height of respect and also meant that his work took him to the wider ESB in places like tarbert, Great Island, Liffey and Lee stations and all along the mighty length of the River Shannon and its tributaries from Ardnacrusha to Carrick-On-shannon. Mossie was involved in a number of major projects such as the construction of the 600KW set at Parteen Weir, repairs on Fort Henry Embankment following the large slip in 1979, guniting of the many Headrace Bridges, embankment and remedial works on the Headrace and Shannon and worked extensively on the Ballintra sluices.
A much loved character, Mossie was a well known figure in his local community of Ballina/Killaloe on the Clare/Tipp border. It is with deep regret that we extend our sympathy to his wife Joan, daughters Mary, Olive, Patricia and Siobhain, family and friends.
May he rest in peace.
Jackie Keane joined the permanent staff at Ardnacrusha in February 1967 and was ever present until his retirement in July 1990. A dedicated ESB man and a true friend to all his work colleagues, Jackie had a varied career serving as Coilwinder in the Transformer Workshop and Mechanical Workshop storekeeper. He operated the Navigation Locks and worked as a Shift Operator in the Turbine Gallery. Jackie became very well known across the wider ESB as he served as a Shop Steward for many years, fighting proudly but fairly, for improvements in the workplace. He was Ardnacrusha’s representative on the Limerick/Ardnacrusha Staff Social & Benevolent Fund for many years and one of his great loves was a ‘flutter’ on the horses. Although his health suffered in his later retirement years, Jackie always had a positive outlook and maintained a keen interest in the station’s affairs.
To his wife Betty, son Joe, daughter Patricia, family and friends, we extend our deepest sympathy. May he rest in Peace.
Dan Flannery was a native of Clonlara and followed in his late father’s footsteps when he joined Ardnacrusha staff in 1948. (Michael Flannery had been a Shannon Scheme veteran). Dan remained on the staff until July 1994 when he retired after 46 years of committed work to ESB. Dan contributed greatly to the life of the station where he held a number of responsible positions – Crane Driver, Navigation Locks Operator and maintaining the water filter plant. Dan was instrumental in training many of his colleagues in these duties over the years and in 1974 was the first Station Services Supervisor appointed to Ardnacrusha. When Dan moved to Castleconnell he made the daily cycle to Clonlara to pick up his transport whether it was rain, hail or shine. A keen gardener, Dan always had the early ‘spuds’ ready for the table before anyone else. A man of high standards, Dan took his duties seriously and was highly respected by his colleagues.
To his wife Josephine, daughters Majella and Anne, sons Michael and John we extend our deepest sympathy
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilís.
Martin Read retires from London Office
Asset Development
OUR ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE and friend, Martin Read, is retiring from his post as General Manager of ESB’s London Office.
Martin has enjoyed a long and very successful career in the British energy industry. He first came into contact with ESB in the late 1980s during the development of Corby Power, the first independent power project in the UK. Representing East Midlands Electricity, the project developer, Martin acted as Chairman of Corby Power, maintaining a close working relationship with ESB throughout the next decade.
Following the privatisation of East Midlands Electricity and its takeover by PowerGen, Martin expanded his industry experience by playing a key role in the development of Sutton Bridge Power Station and later taking up the post of Chief Executive at Tees-side Power. He joined ESBI in 2003.
Martin was instrumental in delivering the 842MW CCGT Marchwood Power project, which entered commercial operations in 2009. Through his role as UK General Manager, he established the London office, which has grown and developed under his leadership and has increased ESB’s presence and profile in the British energy market.
Speaking at a presentation to mark Martin’s retirement, Asset Development Manager John McSweeney said, “Martin has made a profound and valuable contribution to establishing ESB as a serious player in the All-Islands Market. We will miss his industry insight as well as his wit and good humour in both Dublin and London offices, and we wish him, his wife Sarah and their family the very best for the future.”
Turlough Hill welcomes Mount Anville Green Flag school
Back to school at Coolkeeragh ESB
Safety on Wind Farms
THE IRISH WIND Energy Association (IWEA) held its first health and safety event, ‘Reaching for Safety Excellence in Wind’, on Wednesday June 15th in Dublin. The event featured seminars on key safety issues for the wind industry, including construction, transportation of components and emergency response.
Sarah Stapleton, of ESBI’s Civil and Structural team, presented a paper, Designing in safety, which outlined the process that designers go through to identify risks and ensure that their designs are safe.
Sarah’s presentation featured examples of designing in safety from current ESB wind farm projects. It showed the key role that civil and structural designers play in early identification and elimination of risks, bringing real safety benefits to people working on site.
The full presentation is available to download at www.esbi.ie/news/presentations.asp
Going for a spin
Joe O’Reilly retires from North Wall
North Wall recently said farewell to Joe O’Reilly, General Services Supervisor. Joe’s career started with the Roads Crew before joining North Wall where he served various roles culminating in his appointment as General Services Supervisor. Everyone in North Wall wishes Joe all the very best in his retirement and thanks him for the many years of loyal service he gave to the station and the company. Pictured at Joe’s retirement presentation were (left to right): Dave Sexton, Asset Manager at North Wall with Joe O’Reilly, his wife Lil and their daughter and grandson.
