1960 – Drumgeely Hill Flats, Shannon, Co. Clare
By the mid 1950s because of jet aircraft development, transatlantic flights were able to pass over Shannon instead of landing for refuelling. This with both freight and passenger numbers declining, led to the formation of the tax-free zone.
The Shannon Free Airport Development Authority was formed in January 1959 to attract foreign multinationals to the area with the lure of advance factories, tax free exemptions, grants, and cheaper labour. The tax-free development zone was sited strategically beside the airport which allowed for easy transport of goods around the world.
By April 1960, when Erskine Childers, the Minister for Transport and Power opened the first new advance factory, eight firms were already committed to taking up factories at Shannon. The Irish Times reported that “negotiations were under way with six British, five American, three Irish, one Dutch, one French and one German firm for other Shannon factories”. A cosmopolitan mixture.
And so, it was realised that to support the industrial estate local accommodation for workers and management was required. In 1960 one hundred and thirty-six flats and ten detached houses were built on Drumgeely Hill at the edge of the airport and new industrial estate close to the Shannon Estuary. These were touted as all-electric with electric heating, light, and cooking. There are a mix of three, four, and five storey blocks set in a green landscaped space.
This was followed, in the early 1960s, by the commissioning of an Outline Development Plan by Downes, Meehan & Robson in association with town planner Frederick Rogerson. Their plan proposed an overall scheme for the development of a town made up of several neighbourhoods and an area designated for a town retail centre. The long-term population projections for the town were envisaged to be in the region of 25,000 – 35,000.
There was widespread pride at the development of the new town – the ESB issued pamphlets on the culture shock of moving into an all-electrical home, companies in the construction industry placed advertisements about their products used in the flats. Ireland was arriving!
Published February 5, 2025