THE END OF AN ERA IN THE IRISH TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

On May 28, 1987, Mountshannon was in the public view once again, having been chosen by Telecom Eireann to play host to the historic event of being the last manual exchange in the country to be automised. This exchange has always played an important part in the everyday lives of the people of Mountshannon. Nowadays we tend to take the phone for granted. We forget that our forebears couldn’t phone for an ambulance, conduct business conversations at a distance or simply ring up family and friends to say ‘hello’ and keep in touch. The world has become a smaller place thanks to the telephone.

The monumental task of providing Ireland with a fully automatic telephone network was completed with the end of the Mountshannon telephone exchange. It was a festive occasion for everyone in the parish with flags and banners spread all over the village giving a colourful display. Telecom’s vans and R.T.E.’s Radio 2 Roadshow with Ian Dempsey added great activity. Attending the ceremony was the most Rev. Dr. Michael Harty, Bishop of Killaloe, R.I.P., diplomats, business executives, Dail deputies, senators and many other distinguished guests. To many this was a day of great excitement, but to the post-mistress, Mrs. Florence Bugler, it was a sad day as she had communicated with people for over 20 years in Mountshannon. Her family’s connection with the service extends back some 100 years. It started with Mrs. Florence Veller in the early `1900’s and she continued to operate the telephone exchange up to the 1960’s, after which she handed over to her grand-niece, Florence Bugler. The young Florence became very interested in the exchange from an early age and she would sit and watch while her grand-aunt kept everyone in touch. There was one day that her grand-aunt took sick and Florence was collected from national school to operate the exchange.

The exchange was a very demanding job for Florence and her husband Gerard. It operated from 8 am to 10 pm Monday to Saturday and 9 am to 10.30 am and 7 pm to 10 pm on a Sunday, although in 1984 Telecom hired Colette Watershone and Noreen Harvey to help. Florence and Gerard tell a story of the time when they went to see Pope John Paul II when he came to Galway in 1979. This was a very significant event and they both did not want to miss out. So, after the exchange on the Sunday morning, they headed to Galway, but due to traffic and car trouble they delayed their return to cover the exchange in the evening. There was uproar, but it was all forgotten about because no one could fault Florence and Gerard on the excellent and personal service they provided over the years in Mountshannon and which they still do in the Post Office in Scarriff. In May 1987 this tiny exchange and its 88 subscribers ceased operation. This nostalgic event was marked with a final ceremonial call by the chairman, Dr. Michael Smurfit, via manual exchange to the Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey. A cordial chat and then it was over, ending an era in the 107 year old history of the Irish telephone service. Mrs. Florence Bugler was presented with a Waterford Crystal glass lamp in recognition of her efficiency and hard work at the exchange. A plaque was unveiled to commemorate the occasion.

As the church bells rang out at twelve noon, 60 helium filled balloons bearing the Telecom logo filled the air, commemorating the first automatic telephone to arrive in Ireland 60 years ago. It was just another in a series of great days for the locals and the beginning of a new era of the automatic telephone service. Joanne Dunphy