Free repro – picture credit Paul Sherwood – Peter Houlihan Photography
A little-known history – 50 Years of Car Assembly in Ireland
The start of Industry in Ireland
Bob Montgomery’s new book ‘MOTOR ASSEMBLY IN IRELAND’ is the story of the fifty plus makes of cars that were assembled during the fifty-year lifespan of the Industry. With 240 pages and 205 illustrations this book is full of information about the makes of cars assembled, many of them surprising, and the personalities that were involved with them.
The book is the result of a joint desire by C.A.R. (whose members include many who worked in the Assembly Industry) and the Royal Irish Automobile Club Archive, to record this important piece of automotive history.
The manufacturing and heavy industry we know today was a distant dream for an emerging Republic in the 1920’s and early 1930’s.
In contrast to today, The Republic of Ireland at this time was stagnating with an economy almost entirely based on Agriculture. Two visionaries understood that developing and encouraging a manufacturing sector would be paramount in dragging such a small economy onto the world stage.
Sean Lemass, the minister for industry and commerce, along with FM Summerfield, understood that this process needed to be jumpstarted somehow. They conceived the idea of assembling motor cars in the republic which up till now was only carried out in more industrialised countries.
Bob Montgomery, Author of ‘Motor Assembly in Ireland’ said: “It should be remembered that at the time assembly was introduced, the Free State had virtually no light industry manufacturing, yet within six months, there were no fewer than 13 assembly plants in operation together with the necessary component suppliers. In the years that followed in the region of 52 different makes of cars were assembled here.”
Pictured – Bob Montgomery, author of ‘MOTOR ASSEMBLY IN IRELAND’ with his book