JUNIOR CYCLE HISTORY Fuel shortages and the glimmer men
Electricity and gas were in short supply and had to be rationed. Government inspectors called glimmer men called to houses in towns and cities to check that people were not overusing their gas supplies. If you were using more than your allowed amount, you could be cut off or prosecuted in the courts.
Petrol was extremely limited, and was only really used by doctors and priests. Ireland had imported a lot of its coal from Britain, and this was hard to do during the war. Turf replaced coal as a fuel. The army was put to work cutting turf from the bogs around Ireland. Trains had to run on turf and took longer to get to their destinations as a result. Irish industry was greatly affected by the fuel shortages. Factories had to lay off workers, so emigration from Ireland increased. People moved to Britain to work in the busy factories there. Agriculture was also affected by a lack of products such as fertilisers and animal feeds.
Turf-cutting in the Emergency CHECKPOINT!
1. Explain the terms rationing and glimmer man. 2. What role did Seán Lemass play during the Emergency? 3. What was the purpose of the Irish Shipping Company? 4. How were people’s lives affected by (a) rationing of food and (b) shortages of fuel?
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I can describe what life was like in Ireland/Éire during the Emergency.
TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD The aftermath of the North Strand Bombing
