5th Class Visit Ardnacrusha
On the 31st of May, 5th class went on a trip to Ardnacrusha. We left the school at half 10 and arrived safely at half 11. We then got our safety gear. We got helmets, goggles and high visibility jackets. We met our tour guides Ian and Seaghán.
First we went to the visitor centre and saw the timeline and the history of Ardnacrusha. We watched a short video about the construction of the plant. Then we went outside and saw the memorial to people who had died on the site. We also saw old bomb shelters from World War II.
We then saw all the lines of power going to different locations such as Cappamore, Bruff, Tulla, Shannon Airport and Birdhill.
Then we climbed a flight of stairs to get a better view of the dam. We saw 4 penstocks and learned that 400 tonnes of water passes through each second. We saw the water filter, which makes sure the water is clear so no rubbish damages the machines. We saw where the boats pass through, and learned that it takes 50 minutes for one boat to pass through. Vessels must give up 48 hours notice that they will be passing through.
We went to see a 100ft drop and looked over the edge. We had to hold onto our hats and glasses! Seaghán’s great grandfather was the first person to ever open the gate. He also told us that it cost over €1.2 million to redo the roof of the plant. There is a tower built especially for salmon to pass through so they don’t get caught in the dam.
We then went into the museum. We saw the porter’s office, where we saw his old ESB helmet, his coat, umbrella, the original plans to the plant and an old phone. After this we visited the workshop, where we saw explosives, maps and first aid kits.
Then we went to see paintings. All the paintings were done by a man from Limerick. There were lots of symbols in the paintings. One painting showed a man painting in a field in his wellies. Another painting was called ‘The night the candles burned out’ and the original is worth €100,000.
Then we watched videos about how electricity works. We saw a timeline of old ESB logos. We saw a model of the original plan for Ardnacrusha. Then we went into an antique room. We saw and old TV, toaster, fridge, microwave, hoover, scuba suit and more.
The last part of the tour was when we went to the old control room. There were buttons and valves everywhere. The most important ones were covered with glass to make sure no one changed them. There was a mannequin of a worker would have looked like years ago.
We then gave back our gear and waited benches and played 20 questions in the sun. The bus came and we returned to the school. We had a great day.
On the 31st of May, 5th class went on a trip to Ardnacrusha. We left the school at half 10 and arrived safely at half 11. We then got our safety gear. We got helmets, goggles and high visibility jackets. We met our tour guides Ian and Seaghán.
First we went to the visitor centre and saw the timeline and the history of Ardnacrusha. We watched a short video about the construction of the plant. Then we went outside and saw the memorial to people who had died on the site. We also saw old bomb shelters from World War II.
We then saw all the lines of power going to different locations such as Cappamore, Bruff, Tulla, Shannon Airport and Birdhill.
Then we climbed a flight of stairs to get a better view of the dam. We saw 4 penstocks and learned that 400 tonnes of water passes through each second. We saw the water filter, which makes sure the water is clear so no rubbish damages the machines. We saw where the boats pass through, and learned that it takes 50 minutes for one boat to pass through. Vessels must give up 48 hours notice that they will be passing through.
We went to see a 100ft drop and looked over the edge. We had to hold onto our hats and glasses! Seaghán’s great grandfather was the first person to ever open the gate. He also told us that it cost over €1.2 million to redo the roof of the plant. There is a tower built especially for salmon to pass through so they don’t get caught in the dam.
We then went into the museum. We saw the porter’s office, where we saw his old ESB helmet, his coat, umbrella, the original plans to the plant and an old phone. After this we visited the workshop, where we saw explosives, maps and first aid kits.
Then we went to see paintings. All the paintings were done by a man from Limerick. There were lots of symbols in the paintings. One painting showed a man painting in a field in his wellies. Another painting was called ‘The night the candles burned out’ and the original is worth €100,000.
Then we watched videos about how electricity works. We saw a timeline of old ESB logos. We saw a model of the original plan for Ardnacrusha. Then we went into an antique room. We saw and old TV, toaster, fridge, microwave, hoover, scuba suit and more.
The last part of the tour was when we went to the old control room. There were buttons and valves everywhere. The most important ones were covered with glass to make sure no one changed them. There was a mannequin of a worker would have looked like years ago.
We then gave back our gear and waited benches and played 20 questions in the sun. The bus came and we returned to the school. We had a great day.
