The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland

Here is a selection of past activities of the IHAI.

14^th October 2006: Clara
A very successful and well attended outing was organised by Reggie Goodbody to Clara in County Offaly to look at the old jute factory, Erry flour mills, Quaker meeting house and burial ground, as well as some of the houses of the Goodbody family, who commenced various businesses there in the mid-19th century. Several members of the Goodbody family were present, including Michael Goodbody who gave an excellent talk about the family connections with Clara.

15^th July 2006: Summer Outing – Trains, Trams & Lighthouses
Thirty members took part in the summer outing. Visits were made to the Baily Lighthouse on Howth Head, the National Transport Museum in the grounds of Howth Castle, and the Fry Model Railway Collection at Malahide Castle where an excellent lunch was provided in the tea-rooms. Our thanks to Michael Lynch of Fingal County Council for organising the event and to Ted Cantwell for the welcome cuppa at his home near to the Baily.

26^th March 2006: Greenore

25 members of the IHAI and guests attended a well-organised visit to the Port of Greenore, at the eastern tip of the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth. This port was opened in 1873 by the London & North-Western Railway Company to service the ferry to Holyhead. It was linked by railway to Dundalk, and to Newry from 1876. Fred Hamond is to be thanked for the arrangements for this visit.

22nd April 2006: AGM in Steam Museum, Straffan

The Annual General Meeting of IHAI Ltd was held at the Steam Museum in Straffan, courtesy of Robert Guinness. 30 members attended and took part in a Members Forum following the formal business of the meeting. In addition to our visit to the many attractions of the Steam Museum, Tom Meaney was on hand to steam some of the engines in the Steam Hall.

10^th December 2005: Awards at Skerries Mills
At a luncheon at Skerries Mills, three heritage awards were presented to mark the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland (IHAI). This is the first year for these awards and they went to people who have campaigned to recognise and conserve Ireland's 'working' and industrial heritage.

The lifetime achievement award went to Ruth Delany, author of several celebrated books on Irish inland waterways, and a stalwart member of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, which she helped found in 1954 with her first husband, Vincent Delany. Ruth was until recently a member of the Heritage Council.  The award citation recognised her ‘invaluable advice in the setting up of the cross-border body, Waterways Ireland’, and her tireless work in championing the history, heritage and tourism potential of our canals and river navigations.

Skerries Mills won the best community project award. This restored milling complex in north County Dublin boasts two large windmills and a large watermill - a unique combination, that is also the densest concentration of working mills in either Ireland or Britain - and all restored to working order in the 1990s and open to the public. 

The project, begun by Dublin County Council in 1989 in conjunction with FAS, was seen to completion by Fingal County Council and Skerries Development & Community Association, and is now managed by voluntary community group, Hill Mill Ltd. The award was presented to the Cathaoirleach of Fingal CC, Councillor Joan Maher.

Author and broadcaster, Mary Mulvihill, was presented with a scientific award for her guidebook, Ingenious Ireland, a county by county tour of the country's industrial and scientific heritage, and for promoting a greater public awareness of Ireland's rich 'working' heritage.

Our Chairman, Norman Campion, remarked that Fingal CC can be justly proud of its achievements in the protection and enhancement of its heritage and, as stated in the introduction to the Fingal Heritage Plan 2005-2010, the Council has a tradition of dedication and caring both through its own efforts and the communities which it serves.  It comes very high in the ranking of the Local Authorities and it gives the Industrial Heritage Association great pleasure to work with the Council in the promotion of our particular area of heritage. The IHAI is looking forward to working in partnership with the Council on the development of Liffey Mills as part of the Liffey Valley Park.

Credit for the awards must go to the person who thought up the idea in the first place –Brendan Delany. Brendan is the Heritage Officer for the ESB and they are doing a most worthy job in preserving and celebrating their considerable Industrial Heritage which has accumulated over the past 80 years. The IHAI is indebted to Brendan and the ESB for their support of the award scheme.

In closing, the Chairman referred to our close association with many kindred groups such as the Mill and Millers of Ireland whose secretary Stephanie Bourke looked after the arrangements for the event.  A special thank you also went to Michael Lynch and his team in Fingal County Council.

24-25 September 2005: Autumn Tour

The IHAI autumn tour was based in Birr in Co.Offaly.

Saturday’s tour was led by Barry O’Reilly and started at the five-arched Riverstown Bridge over the Little Brosna, south-west of Birr. A short distance downstream, we came to Derrinsallow Mill, a massive 12-bay/six-storey early 19^th century water-powered flour mill. Beside it is the three-arch Derrinsallow Bridge, built c.1860 and an interesting contrast with the one at Riverstown. At the medieval Dominican Priory at Lorrha, there was much debate as to whether the building marked as ‘Abbey Mill’ on the 1830s OS map was or wasn’t a watermill. Next on, the picturesque Portland Harbour lies at the end of a short channel off the River Shannon near Portumna and was constructed c.1810. Beside it are the derelict remains of a mid 20^th sawmill complete with it timber kilns. Portumna Bridge was our last call before lunch. This five-span metal road bridge was built in 1911 and incorporates the piers of an 1834 masonry bridge erected by the Shannon Commissioners. There is an opening section at its Co Galway end and also a former operator’s house on the island in the middle of the river.

After lunch in Portumna, we drove on to Ballinderry Mill, an early 19th century flour mill which still retains its massive waterwheel and machinery. Nearby is the five-arch Ballinderry Bridge of c.1790. Borrisokane Mill proved to be a disappointment as what had been a virtually intact water-powered flour mill some ten years ago was now a gutted shell. Apparently, its machinery was sold off to furnish a Dublin pub! The early 17th century Shinrone glassworks proved elusive to find but was worth the effort even though only a fragment of the actual furnace survives. Our final stop was Carrig Windmill, an elegant tapered tower of c.1820. Participants were kept on their toes by a swarm of angry bees, their nest having been trodden on by one of the party (no names, but he had the most stings)!

Sunday’s walkabout focused on the industrial heritage of Birr. Our weekend base – the Maltings Guest House on Castle St – is actually a converted malt house and kiln once associated with Robinson’s Distillery. The morning was spent in Birr Demesne where we saw a variety of bridges over the Little Brosna and Camcor rivers – a triple-arch brick-and-stone bridge, a single-arch reinforced-concrete bridge of 1911, and an elegant wire suspension footbridge of c.1825. The latter is thought to be the earliest surviving suspension bridge in Europe. We also came upon a hydro-electric power station of 1879, still with its 1949 replacement turbine. The restored telescope – once the largest in the world when built by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, in 1845, was our last stop before returning to the Maltings for lunch.

After lunch, it was a short walk down to Birr Bridge over the Camcor. This bridge has been widened four times and until the 1970s there were houses across one side. Just upstream, the remains of the massive early 19^th century Manor Mill have been incorporated into Birr Technology Centre. The nearby Bagnall’s Bridge was originally a footbridge at Emly railway station on the Dublin-Cork line but was moved to Birr in 1979 to provide access to a public park. Next was Oxmantown Bridge, named after Baron Oxmantown (Earl of Rosse) and an 1855 triple-arch replacement of the 1817 original. The tour ended at New Bridge (also known as Elmgrove Bridge), a triple-arch bridge just downstream from Birr Distillery, part of which has been restored as a holiday home.

16^th April 2005:  Annual General Meeting  
The Annual General Meeting of The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland Ltd. Was held on Saturday, 16^th April 2005 during a visit of members to the National Botanic Gardens. Prior to the AGM, an illustrated lecture was give on Conserving ironwork: The curvilinear glasshouses and palm house by Ciarán O'Connor, Assistant Principal Architect, Office of Public Works. This was followed by a tour of the restored Turner Glasshouses & the more recently restored Palm House.

20^th November 2004 -:- National Archives of Ireland & National College of Art and Design, Dublin
The National Archives of Ireland at Bishop Street in Dublin was the venue for an interesting look at some of the industrial heritage records and drawings in the Archives (by kind invitation). Dr Brian Donnelly was our tour guide. During the visit, a brief EGM of the Association was held to change the association's status to that of a limited liability company. This was followed by a light lunch at Jury’s Christchurch Inn. After lunch there was a visit to the National College of Art and Design in Thomas to look at the two magnificent steam beam engines, formerly part of Power’s Distillery. The engines were built in 1876 and 1886 respectively by Turnbull Grant of Glasgow. A talk on the history of the engines was given by William Dick and Mike Hargreaves.

9^th – 10^th October 2004 -:- IHAI Annual Conference “SERVING THE PEOPLE: THE HERITAGE OF PUBLIC UTILITIES IN IRELAND”, Belfast
The conference focused on the rich heritage associated with our public utilities - water supply, gas and electricity production and distribution, public health and sewage disposal. These enterprises have had a fundamental impact on our quality of life since Victorian times. The venue for the conference, St. Patrick's School, has been restored by the Belfast Building Preservation Trust. The programme included presentations on Mains drainage in Dublin by Mary McMahon, History of Newry's water supply by Tony Canavan, Kells Waterworks by Ronnie McGrane, The Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast: the world’s first air-conditioned building by Nigel Keery, Electrification of Inishowen in the 1950s by Des Doherty, and Northern Ireland’s Gas Industry by Fred Hamond.

On the day following the conference, there were site visits to Duncrue Street Sewage Pumping Station (including restored steam engines), Carrickfergus Gasworks (Ireland's only preserved town gasworks); and The Royal Victoria Hospital (world's first air-conditioned building).

4^th & 5^th October 2003 -:- Monasterevan & Sallins/Naas Area
Led by Ewan Duffy.
Monasterevan area canals and railway.
Transport features in the Sallins/Naas area including the Naas branch of the Grand Canal;
Odlums Mill, Sallins
Victoria Bridge Mill, a 5 storey former mill, now in use as residential accommodation, but retaining its machinery in working order;
Ballynafagh Reservoir and Blackwood feeder of the Grand Canal.

14^th September 2003 - Industrial Heritage tour of Ringsend, Dublin
Led by Mary McMahon and Ruth Delany.

7^th September 2003 - Walking tour of Liffey Bridges
Led by Ron Cox, President of IHAI and Director of Centre for Civil Engineering Heritage, Trinity Collge Dublin.

24^th November 2001 -:- Visit to Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Cultra, Co. Down
A day trip to this excellent facility took place in November. A group of members set off from Dublin by train, meeting up with the local contingent at Cultra. Unfortunately, a bus transfer was necessary between Belfast and Cultra, which has its own train station, out of use at the time due to engineering works on the line.
The museum's transport collection was the main focus of our visit. The Irish Railway Collection tells the story of over 150 years of Irish railway history. Steam locos, passenger carriages and goods wagons are combined with extensive railway memborabilia an interactive display. Alongside the railway gallery is the road transport gallery. This boasts an extensive collection of cycles, motorcycles, trams, buses and cars. There are also displays on maritime and aviation history. The folk museum contains, amongst other things, three watermills; a scutch mill, spade mill and corn mill.

21st to 23rd September 2001 -:- Annual Tour: Donegal
Our annual tour, also rescheduled due to Foot & Mouth, took place in Donegal in September. Led by Fred Hamond, the tour took in the port at Ballyraine, the town of Ramelton, now an Architectural Conservation Area, Drummonaghan mill, Newmills, owned by Duchas, Convoy woolen mills. Bridges visited included Ballybotemple and Eletagh. The weekend ended with a visit to the Fintown Railway for a trip on this restored narrow gauge railway along the shores of Lough Finn.

19^th May 2001 -:- AGM: Guinness Storehouse, Dublin
Our plan to hold our AGM in March at Shackletons was cancelled due to Foot & Mouth. The AGM was rescheduled to May and held in the Guinness Storehouse, courtesy of Guinness Ireland Ltd. After the formal business of the AGM, a tour of the Storehouse, Guinness' tourist venture was held. We were fortunate to have the services of Council member Dan Hurst, a former Guinness engineer at our disposal. Dan's first hand knowledge of the building and its former use made the tour more relevant that it would have been otherwise.

11^th November 2000 -:- Annual Conference: Dundalk
Our annual conference was held in the Louth County Museum in Dundalk, a former tobacco warehouse. The museum has an extensive industrial heritage section.
Papers were presented by:
Prof John Byrne - Sir John Mac Neill, architect and engineer
Dr Ron Cox - Mitchell's screw piles
Ewan Duffy - The railways of north east Ireland
Claire Foley - Scheduling the Newry Canal
Dr Michael Gould - Belfast truss roofs
Canice O'Mahony - Manisty's foundry, Dundalk
The published proceedings of this conference may be ordered from WORDWELL BOOK SALES, PO Box 69, Bray, Co.Wicklow. (: (01) 276 5221; 2: (01) 276 5207; +: Helen@wordwellbooks.com

26^th to 28^th May 2000 -:- Annual Tour: Wexford
Our annual tour kicked off on the evening of the 26th with a talk about the industrial heritage of Co. Wexford, given to us by Austin O'Sullivan of the Irish Agricultural Museum. The muesum was our first port of call the next morning, with its impressive collection of farm implements and machinery made by Pierces of Wexford and a most informative exhibition on the Great Famine. Then on to Dick Hammond's garden at Killinick and its four limekilns and associated quarry. Lunch at Kilmore Quay was followed by an inspection of the lifeboat and former lightship, now a maritime museum surrounded by a sea of concrete. We then made our way to Browne's Mill, an intact mid-19th Century water powered cornmill at Old Ross. The Heritage Council have recently sponsored the preparation of a Conservation plan for this mill, so hopefully its future will be assured.

11^th March 2000 -:- AGM: Skerries Mills, Co. Dublin
In addition to the standard AGM formalities, the day began with a tour of the restored watermill and finished with visits to the two restored windmills all on the one site, owned and managed by Fingal County Council.

13^th November 1999 -:- Autumn Conference: Tullamore
A successful conference at which a wide breadth of papers were presented. Talks on sujects as diverse as Ballyknockan granite quarry, Garrylough watermill, the industries of Letterkenny, animal power on the Castlecomer Plateau and a future for redundant railway stations were presented. Held in the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre, the venue complimented the overall event.

15^th & 16^th May 1999 -:- Annual Tour: Dublin
The tour of the Dublin area took in a wide variety of sites around the Greater Dublin Area. The first location visited was Ballycorus Lead Mines, led by Rob Goodbody. From there we went to Dublin Corporation's Vartry Waterworks, where Ned Fleming showed us around. The day was rounded off with a tour of Turlough Hill Pumped Storage Scheme led by Iggy Campbell.
On Sunday, we took in Dublin Docks, headed west to the Strawberry Beds, passing the site of the Phoenix Iron Foundry (now Hickeys Fabrics on Parkgate Street). The Farmleigh bridge was passed en route to Lucan where Dick Shackleton gave us a tour of the water mills in Lucan. We then proceeded to Celbridge where we saw the water powered generating equipment at the Mill in Celbridge. This is powered by the Liffey. The tour ended with a visit to Straffan Steam Museum where Robert Guinness was our host.

6^th March 1999 -:- AGM: Pigeon House Power Station, Dublin
The AGM of the Association was held at the Pigeon House Power Station, Ringsend, Dublin on Saturday 6th March 1999. As well as the formal meeting Helen Perry of the Pigeon House Trust led a tour of the former Pigeon House power station which has been proposed as a Science and Technology Museum. We viewed the cathedral-like spaces, wondering what the exhibits of the future will be like.
We had a panoramic view from near roof level of the coast from the Sugarloaves to Blackrock and up to Kippure. In the afternoon by contrast we had an opportunity to visit the adjacent working Poolbeg power station. The two tall, red and white chimneys are familiar to Dubliners and visitors to the city alike but it was a revelation to see inside.

24^th October 1998 -:- Autumn Conference
A one day conference organised by Plunkett Hayes on the topic of Heritage Centres - an Industrial Heritage Perspective was held in October 1998 at Croom Mills, Croom, Co Limerick. A wide range of speakers gave their opinions on the setting up of visitor centres and the challenges likely to be encountered. The complex at Croom has an extensive display of working milling machinery driven by a variety of prime movers. Delegates also enjoyed the delicious fare on offer in the restaurant. It is hoped that a publication will be produced based on the days proceedings.

17^th to 19^th April 1998 -:- Annual Tour: Galway
The Spring Excursion to Galway City and County took place over this weekend in April. Based in Galway City, forays were made by minibus to see the following sites:- Kilroe Mills, Rosserrilly Friary, Owen Bridge and Mills, Ballycurran Lighthouse, Cong Canal, Tuam Mill Museum, Westtrail Tuam Railway Station, Sun Street Bridge and Windmill, Bermingham Water Works, Corofin Bridge, Claregalway Bridge and Canal, Curranroe Tide Mill, Cloon Weir and Bridges, Ballee Mills and Galway City Waterways.
The weekend was very successful and thanks are due to Paul Duffy who devised the programme, brought us to the sites and produced a most useful and extensive set of field notes mostly based on his own writings.

28^th February 1998 -:- AGM in Locke's Distillery, Kilbeggan
On Saturday 28th February members gathered in the little town of Kilbeggan in Co.Westmeath to view the towns’ historic buildings and to see the Grand Canal Basin and Warehouse. In the afternoon the AGM was held and the day concluded with a guided tour of the Distillery buildings.

13^th September 1997 -:- 'Power from Steam'
This was held at the Steam Museum, Straffan, Co. Kildare. The provision of power was a key driving force behind the industrial revolution and the conference reviewed the historical development of the steam engine and its contribution to Ireland's industrial heritage, typically in industries such as linen, brewing and distilling. Delegates were also able to view a number of beautifully restored engines operating under steam and also the Guinness Collection of scale model locomotives and engines.
Papers were presented by:
Paul Logan - Technological Development of the Reciprocating Steam Engine
John Allen - The Newcomen Engine
Richard Grainger - Steam Locomotives
Garrett Scaife - Parsons and the Steam Turbine
Alfred Montgomery - Industrial Archaeology in the Ulster Museum
Colin Rynne & William Dick - The Heritage of the Stationary Steam Engine in Ireland
The published proceedings of this conference may be ordered from WORDWELL BOOK SALES, PO Box 69, Bray, Co.Wicklow. (: (01) 276 5221; 2: (01) 276 5207; +: Helen@wordwellbooks.com

19^th & 20^th April 1997 -:- Field excursion to Cork city and county
Sites visited included Cork Corporation Waterworks, Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills, Monard Spade Mills, Millfield Flax Spinning Mill, Kilnap Railway and Road Viaducts and Middleton Distillery.
This was a very successful weekend excursion and hopefully will become the first of many similar Spring outings to the regions. Thanks are due to Colin who showed us around and who also produced a very useful set of field notes.

November 1996 -:- 'Taking stock of Ireland's Industrial Heritage'
All over Ireland industrial heritage sites are disappearing at an alarming rate. A nationwide field survey is therefore an urgent task if rational decisions are to be made. The conference looked at what has been done to date and the way forward in finding where sites are, how they are surveyed and evaluated, and how this information is made available to others.
The publication of our first Conference's proceedings is out of print.