An exhibition at the County Museum in Dundalk traces the industrial heritage of the town.
Many items on display at the County Museum Dundalk will have brought back memories to older generations, says curator Carol Gleeson.
Tony Johnston's father was the last manager of the last linen mill in the Republic of Ireland. J & J Johnston Linen Manufacturers ceased operations in 1958. New synthetic fibres were making their mark on the world, they were cheaper to produce and the whole economic situation had changed tremendously.
In the 1950s the Heinkel plant was located on the site of former workshops of the Great Northern Railway. From here the unusual Heinkel Cabin Cruiser bubble cars were manufactured.
A former Heinkel employee Paddy Lennon believes it was the invention of the Mini that brought about the beginning of the end for the bubble car. The cost efficient production of the Mini meant Heinkel could not compete.
The Great Northern Railway Works employed substantial numbers of people during almost eighty years of operating in the town. The engineering works manufactured locomotives, goods and services carriages and road vehicles, as well as providing maintenance services.
Maureen Wilson, who worked for the Great Northern Railway, remembers the sad scenes that followed its closure when workers had to relocate to find employment elsewhere,
Change has been a constant in the Dundalk industrial landscape. The exhibition focus is not solely on failed firms. Food processing and electronics are the newest business sectors to make their presence felt in Dundalk.
This episode of 'Nationwide’ was broadcast on 26 March 1995. The reporter is Alasdair Jackson.
