Double Celebration for Lough Ree

On Tuesday 30th January, two rather unusual celebrations took place as management and staff from Lough Ree Power Station and Lough Ree Summer School came together for the presentation of two specially commissioned paintings of the old Station in Lanesboro by artist Pierce Hackett.

At the closing celebrations of the old Lanesboro Power Station, representatives from Lough Ree Summer School discussed the idea of commissioning some artwork with Brendan Delany and Pat Yeates from the ESB Archive & Heritage Division to mark the contribution that staff in Lanesboro made to the community over the years.

A further idea discussed was that the art commissioned should not only celebrate the strong links between ESB and the Summer School, but it should provide a bridge between past achievements while simultaneously being a source of inspiration for the future. After much discussion, Brendan Delany, ESB Archive & Heritage Manager, and Carmel Fallon decided that the most appropriate way of meeting those objectives would be to commission two separate but related paintings.

Pierce Hackett was selected as the artist for the commission. He titled both works Tochar na Cumhachta (The Road to Power). As Pierce wanted to reflect that Lough Ree Summer School is a custodian of our heritage, and staff in ESB bring light into our homes, both of these paintings are filled with light and reflection in water, sky and the browns, greens and purples of the local boglands. The reflected chimney in the water of the Shannon suggests both the sunken Corlea trackway and the River Crossing of wattles and stones, which gives the place name Beal Atha Liag (Lanesborough).

Carmel Fallon, on behalf of the Summer School, presented the first painting to Pat Treanor, Manager of Lough Ree Power, at a function in the new station. At a second function for the community later that evening, Pat Treanor reciprocated by presenting the sister painting to the Summer School.