The Irish Times: John FitzGerald - Ireland’s False Sense of Security Over Energy Supply

In the second World War Ireland faced a severe shortage of energy as the UK prioritised its own energy needs. As a result, Irish Shipping was established to independently source supplies abroad, including energy. Ireland also increased its reliance on our domestically-produced fuel, turf.

However, the conversion of trains to run on peat resulted in a massive deterioration in performance. The energy shortage caused major hardship to households, as well as major disruption to the economy.

Ireland’s wartime economy needed much less energy than we do today. Ireland is now far more reliant on secure and reliable energy supplies, especially of electricity, than it was 70 years ago.

While key institutions and businesses, such as hospitals, have emergency generators which would help them survive temporary interruptions, nearly all households would be dramatically affected by any prolonged interruption to electricity supplies.

Read the full article HERE.