Michael Shiel: The Quiet Revolution [2003]

The bringing of electricity to rural Ireland, begun in the 1940s, was a quiet revolution that transformed the lives of rural dwellers. This book is an entertaining and detailed account of those events. It tells of the plans, the financing, the organization, materials and problems, the celebrations, and the contributions of the many different organizations that made the project possible. It brings the spirit of the times to life and recaptures the enthusiasm and sense of awe that greeted this new source of energy and the beginning of modern life.