Cars ‘made’ in Ireland

mikeconno · 13-11-2012 3:18pm

O'shea's on the Naas road used to assemble the early Skoda's. Major quality issues and poor sales meant they didnt last too long.

mikeconno · 13-11-2012 3:25pm

gfwd wrote: »

Buckleys assembled Rootes cars at Shanowen Road in Santry, later becoming Chrysler and finally Talbot. The factory buildings still stand pretty much as they were back in the 70s/80s and it's now Santry Garda Station.

Booth Poole also assembled MGs at Islandbridge and Hinos were assembled near Cloghran up until around 20 years ago by Harris's.

Google Street View is great for finding these places as they stand now. Even better if you can find an old shot of the factories as they were back in the day to do a then and now comparison!

I was fortunate to drive the final build of Chrsyler Avenger estates out of the Santry site one evening and drive them back to Windsor Motors Rialto. There were a bunch of us in similar cars and if typical youthful enthusiasm we raced back but none of the cars would go over 60 MPH.

captainchaos · 13-11-2012 6:54pm

mikeconno wrote: »

O'shea's on the Naas road used to assemble the early Skoda's. Major quality issues and poor sales meant they didnt last too long.

Thought O'Shea's actually did Polski Fiat!

I remember they always had a few on display as well as Zeoter tractors!!

Blue850 · 13-11-2012 10:06pm

From 1975

Blue850 · 13-11-2012 10:10pm

P O W E R. 0 - 70 in under a minute

w124man · 13-11-2012 10:32pm

O'Shea assembled Diahatsu Charades as well

ba_barabus · 14-11-2012 12:10am

Was there much local content in the cars or were they completely assembled from kits?

How much assembly actually took place here?

Were there any notable companies involved in parts production or reworking?

carchaeologist · 14-11-2012 12:52am

Triplex in Tipperary supplied shamrock etched glass.

GCU Flexible Demeanour · 14-11-2012 1:09am

Solair wrote: »

There was also associated industries like Dunlop tyres and various other smaller companies supplying into the car production facility.

That just reminded me that there's a plaque on the wall of a building in Upper Stephen Street, marking the site of the world's first pneumatic tyre factory. 6391004-Where_the_first_pneumatic_tyre_factory_once_stood_Dublin.jpg

6391004-Where_the_first_pneumatic_tyre_factory_once_stood_Dublin.jpg

Like some have said, it's strange to think of industrial plants being located right in the middle of Dublin. But that's how it was.

Wicklowandy · 15-11-2012 4:09am

Love the 'rimbellishers' on that skoda advert....:)

offalyred · 24-05-2013 8:27pm

Alesbury wrote: »

Yes I unearthed one about a month ago...if you mean pics of the Alesbury car. Using I/cafe as laptop broken, but will upload in the next week. If you mean pics of the Shamrock, I don't have any.....I just know about it and saw pic on the internet last week

Just wondering if you ever posted that pic anywhere. I have trawled the net but cannot find a pic anywhere. I am from Edenderry btw.

w124man · 26-05-2013 1:57pm

offalyred wrote: »

I am from Edenderry btw.

Wont hold that against you!

hiltan · 27-05-2013 5:00am

Which company start manufacturing tires after Dunlop means second one?

Alesbury · 01-11-2013 6:53pm

Hiya offalyred

Finally I am in a position to send you a foto of the Alesbury car. I had only a grainy foto of it, but now I have had it enhanced and greatly-enlarged. I will scan it to my email tomorrow or Sunday, and will upload it for you then. Hope that suffices. I was actually displaying it IN Edenderry last Sunday at a meeting, and 30 copies of the foto I had printed, were ALL taken by people attending the meeting. I ALSO have a foto of Daniel Alesbury, who built the car, driving a DIFFERENT car that he owned several years earlier....the FIRST car in Offaly (the 6th car in Ireland). It was taken in late-1897 or early 1898

Best wishes

Nigel Alesbury Reid

offalyred · 01-11-2013 6:57pm

That's brilliant Alesbury, Looking forward to seeing any photos you have of Daniel Alesbury and/or his cars.

Offayred

AlekSmart · 01-11-2013 7:06pm

PanhardPL wrote: »

Does anyone remember this Garage,

Don't know of the garage,but I knew a gentleman from Botanic Road,Glasnevin who had two fine examples of M.Panhards moteur.

His name was Jack Cuddihy,and he had a green 4-door saloon plus a rather swish white/cream 24CT Tiger,which went like stink.

From memory Jack worked for the Dept of Defence on Parkgate Street and was well versed on Panhard Armoured Car bits n pieces.

bigmark39 · 01-11-2013 8:34pm

The panhard was a very good car for its time, well engineered and held the road better than most. Their flat twin engine was a cracker.

11wingnut · 02-11-2013 5:41pm

I remember them cars in glasnevin in the early 80's
That garage in lucan also assembled Messerschmidt cars

SEANLINE · 13-02-2014 3:02pm

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

Brittains in Portobello/Ringsend assembled Morris.
Buckleys in Ringsend; Hillman, Humber, Talbot & Riley
Summerfields of Lwr. Baggot Street assembled RHD Chrysler (American model), RHD and LHD Plymouth and some DeSoto.
McCairns on the North Wall and later Santry, assembled Vauxhall and Chevrolet.
Caveys on Camden Street assembled Jaguar.
O'Neills on Pleasants Street assembled Dodge.
Nugents on Parnell Street assembled Peugeot
Assemblers Garage on Townsend Street assembled RHD Hudson
Ashenhurst Williams Talbot Place- Leyland/Citroen
O'Shea's in Cork assembled Opel &Dodge
Grange Motors in Deansgrange assembled Mercedes although I am unsure when they stopped.
Booths Stephen Street assembled Wolseley & MG
Brittains in Portobello/Ringsend assembled Morris
Lincoln & Nolan on Baggot Street assembled Austin.

There are other later plants and ones I have left out.
Its hard to imagine Motor Assembley Plants in the centre of Dublin!

Between 1946 and 1950 Dodge cars were assembled by O'Mahonys Garage on Glasheen Road in Cork just 100 yards from my home.If i promised to behave myself they would let me inside the plant to watch the work.The only colour I ever saw was BLACK, but there I saw flashing traffic indicators for the first time, an improvement on the old semaphore type.I also heard about FLUID DRIVE which was part of the Automatic transmission.They used to do about ONE per week.

Kevin_Herron · 18-02-2014 9:34pm

SEANLINE wrote: »

Between 1946 and 1950 Dodge cars were assembled by O'Mahonys Garage on Glasheen Road in Cork just 100 yards from my home.If i promised to behave myself they would let me inside the plant to watch the work.The only colour I ever saw was BLACK, but there I saw flashing traffic indicators for the first time, an improvement on the old semaphore type.I also heard about FLUID DRIVE which was part of the Automatic transmission.They used to do about ONE per week.

Thanks very much for the info- I had never before heard of O'Mahonys Garage assembling Dodge, it must have been amazing to see.

unfit2006 · 18-02-2014 10:17pm

We have an old flathead 6 cylinder Spitfire engine lying in the corner of the garage that came out of an old Dodge or Chrysler of that era or maybe even a few years earlier. They were popular enough as hackney cars in Ireland apparently.

Kevin_Herron · 18-02-2014 10:22pm

unfit2006 wrote: »

We have an old flathead 6 cylinder Spitfire engine lying in the corner of the garage that came out of an old Dodge or Chrysler of that era or maybe even a few years earlier. They were popular enough as hackney cars in Ireland apparently.

That flathead engine was used largely unchanged in Chrysler products until 1960, long after GM and Ford had switched to overhead valve six cylinders.

unfit2006 · 18-02-2014 10:47pm

The one we have here was coupled to a fluid drive box in it's day as far as my dad can recall.
The engine itself is some lump of iron to look at. I can only imagine what engine and box removal must have been like using a block and tackle.

B2AUDI80 · 19-02-2014 10:26am

The Chico mentioned earlier in this thread was built in what eventually became the Fruit of the Loom factory in Buncrana , it seems there not a lot of survivors in Ireland, they could rot impressively too!!! An uncle had one laying in his yard til the late 90s when it was eventually scrapped, in hindsight it shouldve been saved

Anyone know of any others surviving out there??

Alfonzito · 19-02-2014 1:24pm

My dad worked at the Brittain Assembly Works for a time in the 30's

Silvera · 19-02-2014 4:25pm

B2AUDI80 wrote: »

The Chico mentioned earlier in this thread was built in what eventually became the Fruit of the Loom factory in Buncrana , it seems there not a lot of survivors in Ireland, they could rot impressively too!!! An uncle had one laying in his yard til the late 90s when it was eventually scrapped, in hindsight it shouldve been saved

Anyone know of any others surviving out there??

There is a surviving (fully restored) Chico in Limerick.
(The owner is a member here and will give more details
if he wishes to do so).

hi5 · 19-02-2014 6:13pm

Was there one featured in Irish vintage scene some time back?

aujopimur · 19-02-2014 8:29pm

SEANLINE wrote: »

Between 1946 and 1950 Dodge cars were assembled by O'Mahonys Garage on Glasheen Road in Cork just 100 yards from my home.If i promised to behave myself they would let me inside the plant to watch the work.The only colour I ever saw was BLACK, but there I saw flashing traffic indicators for the first time, an improvement on the old semaphore type.I also heard about FLUID DRIVE which was part of the Automatic transmission.They used to do about ONE per week.

That garage is still there, it's seen a lot of different motor trade uses over the years, at one time Ryans made tubular tables and chairs there.

whisky_galore · 03-03-2014 12:53pm

baalthor wrote: »

They actually started off making tractors in the 1920s. All for export to Britain as very few Irish farmers could afford a tractor.
When the Sierra was launched there was much excitement because some of them would be built in Cork.
However it turned out to be the last car made there as the closure happened soon after.

Spotted a Cork-made Fordson in Western Oz, a long way from home.
Don't know how much thievery was as rampant as the urban legends make it out to be, sort of like that Johnny Cash song about an assembly line worker who makes a car for himself from purlioned bits.:pac: Interestingly, during the War Of Independence and the burning of Cork, Fords sent out photographers to document any damage that may have happened to the plant.

As an aside, Raleigh had an assembly plant in Dublin and bikes turned out there had the 'Raleigh - Nottingham England' badge for a while until they forced them to fit a badge with a blank area where the uk plant name would have been.

Going Strong · 12-03-2014 3:40pm

I went to the Ford plant in cork for a Summer job - must have been 1982. Didn't get it but I can recall a sea of MK3 Escorts out back and 90% of them in red. A few years later and I was on a "Hide the unemployment numbers" course in FAS with a few ex-Ford lads. They were full of tales of how they avoided doing anything resembling a day's work. From what I remember, there was a pretty poisonous atmosphere between management and workers by the time the place was closed down.

Re: Hillman Avengers. My dad had one on order (navy blue estate) but it fell off the transporter on the way down to Cork and was written off so he had to wait a month or so for another one.

Cars ‘made’ in Ireland

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