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School group tours start on May 22

School group tours are available from May 22nd to June 30th 2025. Teachers and pupils are welcomed to the Ardnacrusha Experience at the visitors’ centre before going out on site to view the headrace canal, locks and tailrace. Once inside the station, the living heritage of the Shannon Scheme is brought to life through a series of animations which celebrate the history and impact of this iconic project. Visitors are given access to the very heart of the station with views of the turbine hall and a visit to the original control room. The guided tours can accommodate groups of up to 30 people and runs for approximately 90 minutes.

Book school group tours

  • Worksheets will be available to download from the website before your date of arrival.
  • Occasionally guides will request to take photographs of tour groups for use in press or on social media. Guides will ask permission from the person in charge and will have them sign an image rights’ form.
  • If you are part of a large group, we need to ensure all your group are accounted for entering and exiting the site. Could you please provide a list of names for all attending and present to security at site entrance. This list will be shredded at the end of each day.
  • All school groups booking a visit will be met on arrival by a trained tour guide and will be given an introduction to Ardnacrusha and a safety briefing.
  • The school/group leader will have overall responsibility for the supervision and conduct of pupils/students during the duration of the visit and should have regard to the health and safety of the group.
  • The school/group leader must remain with their designated group at all times and keep pupils under constant supervision.
  • All school/group leaders should be aware that Ardnacrusha is a working generating station and that health and safety is a priority therefore anyone behaving in a way that compromises the health and safety of others, will be asked to leave the site.
  • There are lots of social media opportunities with the tour in terms of pics. If your school is on social media we’d love if you would get the conversation started by mentioning you are taking a tour using the hashtags #Ardnacrusha and tagging @theesbgroup (Instagram) and we will happily share your content. 

Public tours start July 1

Public tours are available from July 1st to September 5th 2025. Visitors are welcomed to the Ardnacrusha Experience at the visitors’ centre before going out on site to view the headrace canal, locks and tailrace. Once inside the station, the living heritage of Shannon Scheme is brought to life through a series of animations which celebrate the history and impact of this iconic project. Visitors are given access to the very heart of the station with unique views of the turbine hall and a visit to the original control room. The guided tours can accommodate individuals and groups of up to 30 people and runs for approximately 90 minutes.

Book public tour

  1. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including Hi-vis jacket; safety hat; safety glasses will be provided on arrival at the station. Visitors must wear all provided PPE for the duration of the tour.
  2. Visitors are advised to dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear.
  3. While every effort has been made to make the tour as Accessible as possible there are a number of inaccessible areas to be aware of:
  • There are 86 steps to be negotiated up to the headrace canal, locks and tailrace and will not suit wheelchair users or anyone with mobility difficulties.
  • The visitors’ centre and main station are accessible to wheelchair users albeit the space can be narrow.  However, the control room is not accessible.
  • In relation to people with hearing or visual impairment there are parts of the exhibition which are not accessible but still an enjoyable experience.
  • If you have a particular requirement, please notify the booking office at least three weeks in advance.
  1. For booking queries please contact Carolyn Cousins at AIKEN, Carolyn@aikenpr.com

Ardnacrusha has played a critical role in enhancing Irish life since its construction more than 90 years ago, making progress possible through the electrification of the country.

As part of the Shannon hydro-electric scheme, Ardnascrusha took just four years (1925 to 1929) and 5,000 workers to build. Costing more than IR£5m to construct at the time - almost one-fifth of the entire annual budget - Ardnacrusha became a symbol of forward thinking in relation to harnessing Ireland’s natural resources. With the national grid constructed at the same time, the 86 MW capacity was then enough to meet the electricity demands of the whole country. Today, Ardnacrusha represents around 2% of our total installed capacity.

Almost a century later, ESB continues to lead the way towards a secure, sustainable future for Ireland through our Driven to Make a Difference: Net zero by 2040 strategy, readying the country for an affordable transition to a clean electric future. You can learn more about our strategy on the tour.