As the Aran islands mark their big "switchover" to mains electricity today, the ESB has confirmed that two more western islands are to follow suit. By the end of next year, the roar of diesel generators will be but an unpleasant memory on Clare Island, Co Mayo, and Inishbofin, on the Mayo-Galway coast.
The Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Mr Eamon O Cuiv, will mark the completion of the £5 million project on the Aran islands in Galway Bay this morning, with Mr Ken O'Hara, the ESB's chief executive.
Billed as a "major engineering challenge", the subsea link was 50 per cent funded by the EU. The construction was designed and supervised by ESB personnel.
The development comes at a time when populations on the 66 inhabited offshore islands have fallen slightly, according to the last census figures. Inis Meain, Co Galway, was one of the islands affected by this. However, Inis Mor and Inis Oirr enjoyed modest increases, while Tory Island, Co Donegal, enjoyed an increase of 50 to a total population of 169.
