How the Shannon Scheme Workers Lived by Michael Mccarthy
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THE OLD LIMERICK JOURNAL How the 8hannon 6cheme Workerg Lived he building of the Shannon Scheme during the years 1925-'29 affected the lrish public consciousness in varying degrees. The By Michael McCarthy prominence the project enjoyed in 1925 because of a major industrial dispute, which for a time f l a week. (5) Meals could be bought in the camp can- seemed to threaten the whole prospect of the Scheme, teen at the reduced rate of 11/8 a week. (6)A pint of por- receded somewhat at the beginning of 1926 when the ter then cost 6 pence. Health and unemployment in- strikers were out-manoeuvered. The occasional progress surance deductions amounted to 111 a week. (7) A visit report in the newspapers was all that was to be seen of to Limerick's Coliseum or Grand Central to see the latest the undertaking during the following spring and early silent Tom Mix or Gary Cooper would cost l/- or 116. (8) summer. But in late June the public mind again focused So, for those lucky enough to get jobs the financial on Ardnacrusha as newspapers alleged that workers pressure of having to provide their own accommodation were living in barns, stables and pigsties, and called for a was considerable, particularly if they were married and special inquiry. had hoped to send home something to their wives and The ferment of ingredients for this latest notoriety had children. The less fortunate were confronted by two op- been bubbling away for months. Employment on the tions: the long dusty road home or just hanging about in works had risen rapidly to over 2,000 since major con- the hope that the following morning might bring a job for struction had begun in September 1925. (1) Maximum them. In the meantime, however, they had to find sleeping accommodation for the lrish workers, skilled and somewhere to sleep. unskilled, at Ardnacrusha camp was 720 and that was One of the most obvious places for those without work only achieved in 1928 when employment rose to as high to look for accommodation was in the City Home in as 5,000. (2) Limerick. During April, May and the beginning of June In 1926, therefore, approximately 1,300 had to find 1926, an average of ten people, unable to find work on +awmmodation either in Limerick City or in the the Shannon Scheme, were admitted each night. neighbourhood of the works. Besides, scores of men Towards the end of June, the number seeking admission walked to Ardnacrusha from all parts of Ireland looking had dropped to five a night. But then the City Health for a job at the going rate of 32/- a week. Some were Board refused admittance to all those coming from out- sent there by their local Labour Exchange, many others side the Borough of Limerick. (9) went there full of hope and, oft-times,very little else.(3) The decision of the City Health Board to refuse accom- There was no dole in those days; neither was the modation to all except Limerick townsmen was related to prospect of employment elsewhere very bright. another question which had been occupying the minds of For less than a quarter of the 2,000-odd employed on Clare County Board of Health and Limerick City Home the Shannon Scheme in June 1926 free sleeping accom- and Hospital Committee for some months, namely: who modation was available in the site camp in one of the was responsible for the medical care of the Shannon timber huts provided by the contractors. (4) In the Scheme workers? (10) The German contractors refused neighbourhood, lodgings could cost anything from 21- to to hold themselves responsible, stating that their liability Excavation and clearance work in progress at the Shannon Scheme. 6 THE OLD LIMERICK JOURNAL ceased when they complied with the terms of the also ordered a comprehensive report on conditions in and National Health and Unemployment Acts. Clare County about Ardnacrusha from the Medical Inspector of Health Board of Health held that, even though the Shannon for the area, Dr. G.H. Enright. Scheme was situated in Clare, its hospitals could not Two days after the County Board of Health meeting, cope It argued, that Scarriff Dktrict Hospital had only the national press had picked up the story of housing two beds for other than natives of Clare, that the Fever conditions on the Shannon Scheme. (14) The lrish In- Hospital in Ennis catering for east, central and north Clare dependent recorded the Home Assistance Officer's with only 30 beds was already inadequate for current statements at the Board of Health meeting in its editorial needs, and that the County Hospital in Ennis, being the page under the heading "A Very Amazing Story". Three County Home, held a certain number of beds for the poor days later the story had been moved to the world news of the county but that it had no extra beds available for page and a call was made for a special inquiry and for an the Shannon Scheme workers. Limerick Board of Health early remedy for the inadequate housing conditions of the argued in similar vein that it was incapable of meeting Shannon Scheme workers. The newspaper had also the needs of the Shannon Scheme and that the Minister made its own investigation and published an exclusive for Industry and Commerce should make the contractors report which corroborated the statements of Home shoulder their responsibilities. (1 1) In fact, there was a Assistance Officer Mullane. Referring to the pigsty at- medical officer at Ardnacrusha and a few beds for the in- tached to the labourer's cottage, the special report jured and sick but nothing to cope with the kind and stated: volume of injury which invariably happens when you have "The latter accommodates a husband, a wife and thousands of unskilled men working under pressure with two children. Some of the places in which men are heavy machinery and explosives. sleeping are not at all fit for human beings. There It was on Thurs, June 24 at one of its regular monthly was one place referred to by the Home Assistance meetings, that the Clare County Board of Health first Officer. It was merely an outoffice; it might have heard of Shannon Scheme workers sleeping in pigsties housed horses or cattle. The beds consisted of old and stables. (12) The Board had just listened to a report hay, thrown on the floor, with no suggestion of bed from its Secretary, John Quin, on a conference between clothing. One of the heaps of hay was semi-covered the Limerick and Clare County Boards and the Depart- with an old.sack. This was the very place in which ment of Local Government on the subject of treating the 15 men slept up to a short time ago. The number sick and injured of the Shannon Scheme. The conference has now dwindled down to eight and those men had requested the Minister for Local Government to in- are paying rent for the privilege of accommodation. troduce in the Dail a bill which would allow the transfer to They are being charged 2/- a week for the shelter of their homes of workers from other counties or countries the roof and the bed of hay self-provided. Other in the event of their beingdestitute, sick or injured. The places in the locality, outhouses and so on have representative of the Department had told the conference been improvised and are quite alright, but the place that Clarg and Limerick County Boards of Health could to which specific reference has been made ought refuse*. relief to any man coming from outside their not to be allowed to exist. The Camp Commandant respective areas. The report on the conference was war- at Ardnacrusha, Mr. W.J. Stapleton, when inter- mly welcomed by the members of the Clare Board. As a viewed on the matter, stated that it was possible postscript to its meeting, the Home Assistance Officer for that there were men living in outhouses, but they Ardnacrusha was asked for a brief report on the latest were not employed on the Scheme and that it was position in the area. H.A.O. Mullane stated that a lot of not because of lack of accommodation. 'This morn- men had billetted themselves in stables, cowsheds and ing there were only two men on my waiting list for barns. There was, he said, no hut accommodation for beds', he said. He further explained to me that many of them. He reported that a man and his wife had some months ago before the huts were completed taken possession of a pigsty attached to a labourer's cot- there was not sufficient accommodation, and the tage, and there were no less than 12-14 in a stable at men were obliged to fend for themselves and do Blackwater in O'Grady's yard. Some of these menwere the best they could: but now they were able to unemployed, some were not. The H.A.O. informed the cater for them. He went on to say that when hut ac- Board that about 400 workers were being laid off within commodation was not available, the fact was a few days and he wanted to know what he would do stated to the men before they were employed, and with those who remained in his district and became as a result of the rapidly approaching completion of destitute. There was, he said, a constant procession the temporary works at Ardnacrusha, between 200 through eight miles of his district by men looking for work and 300 men had been disemployed during the or dismissed or going home after failing to get work.