On Tuesday May 28th,, both Rang III classes went on tour to Ardnacrusha Hydro Generating Station. The children had a fantastic day out and were greeted by Tour Guides, who gave each of them a hi-viz jacket, safety goggles and a hard hat.
The first stop on the tour was a fountain made from a Francis Generator. The children were shown a short film in the Visitor Centre and heard about the history of Ardnacrusha and why it was built. Then it was up to the Head Race, from here the children could see the four Penstocks, the fish pass and the boat lock.
From here, the tour continued back down the stairs to the Power Station. We saw the original Porter’s Cabin and Workshop, Seán Keating’s Art Gallery and a room with old poster advertisements. We then proceeded to visit the four generators. The Tour Guides showed us a fantastic interactive video on how water is passed through the head race, down the penstock into the turbine, the turbine is attached to a generator which is connected to power lines. The extra water is released out to the tail race.
The Electricity Museum was next. The pupils danced to an old juke box, investigated old diving equipment that was used to build Arnacrusha and saw old electric cookers, fridges and radios. Lastly on the tour was the old Control Room where we met a mannequin called Charlie and saw how the power plant was controlled in years gone by.
Both Rang III classes had a most enjoyable and memorable day. Mr. S. Burns and Ms. R. McMahon would like to thank Paul Whitmore for all his kindness to our pupils and for organising a day they will never forget.
