Times Past: Bringing ‘Cloth Manufacturers’ to Cootehill in 1947

Historian Jonathan Smyth looks back on the history of Cloth Manufacturers in Cootehill and the former Minister for Agriculture Paddy Smith's role in bringing it to the town...

In November 1947, the Irish Press informed the nation of an exciting industrial development which was taking place at Lisnasaran, Cootehill, noting that Cloth Manufacturers Limited, the new £250,000 company were about to begin production, in a ‘portion’ of the old workhouse site, previously redeveloped for the Cavan-Monaghan Farmers’ Union as a proposed pork factory. The cloth firm had completed its plans to erect a new factory on the site at a whopping cost of £60,000 and when they were able to reach full production, it was estimated that they could employ about 400 staff.

When the company became fully operational, it was thought that they could produce enough ‘cheap cloth’ to supply a market ‘running to about £2,000,000. Chief credit for bringing the factory to Cootehill was given to Patrick Smith, the Agricultural Minister who had fought tooth and nail to secure a site for them in the area.

To celebrate the establishment of the new business, the local directors organised a social at the White Horse Hotel, at which ‘Mr Paddy Smith, Minister for Agriculture, presided’ in the company of ‘all denominations’, business people and ‘others of the town and district’.

Demolition

In July 1948, almost all the local labour from Cootehill was engaged in the demolition of the old workhouse. TheLeitrim Observerwryly observed: ‘it is not without interest to note that one of these forbidding looking structures is to be turned into something useful.’ During the demolition, on Saturday July 3, a Mr M.O. Mullen from the Station Road, Cootehill, was hospitalised in Cavan for an injury received from a falling ‘piece of timber’ and was said to be progressing.

After the old building was demolished, Cloth Manufacturers organised an auction of the materials retrieved from the site, which included timber, slates and other items of use. Andrew Smith and Sons were the auctioneers on the occasion, and it was said that many buyers arrived with the result that every lot was sold. The timber sold had hardly aged since it was first used in the building of the workhouse over a century earlier.

By the end of the month, Cootehill was in a celebratory mood and the organisation of a carnival held in the grounds of Bellamont Forest proved a great success for a townspeople with a justifiable sense of optimism.

The carnival was an outstanding success and Brigadier and Mrs Dorman O’Gowan had regularly called into the marquee to enjoy the delights on offer. The event ended with a fancy-dress ball of which the prize-winners were Misses Jennie Coyle, Nancy O’Reilly, Eileen Lane, Gretta Coyle; Messrs Brendan Woods, Christy Dowd and Leo Shields.

In 1949, J.J. ‘Jimmy’ Smith of Cavan town was awarded the contract to build the Cloth factory and, by November, he was making steady progress on what theMonaghan Argussaid would be the most up-to-date industrial development in the country.

Almost 100 local men were employed on the building site. The architect on the project was P. Gaffney, BE, Cavan. The company’s directors were listed as: Messrs B. Rawson, Dundalk; J. Wiltshire, Dublin; J. Gardiner, Dublin; M. Farrell, Cootehill; P. Smith (auctioneer), Cootehill; P. McCann, national teacher, Shercock; B.C. Fay, Belturbet (secretary); and J. Bell, managing director.

Sports Club

In the following year, this paper noted that ‘production figures’ at the factory were ‘increasing weekly’ and, with the construction almost complete, the management could now begin to take on extra employees.

Perhaps, taking a cue from the success of the Bellamont Forest Carnival, it was decided by Cloth Manufacturers to start a recreational sports club. Mr E.B. Fay was placed in charge of the club, whose officers were J.J. Lynch, chairman; J. Reilly vice-chairman; J. McQuillen and J. Kettyle, treasurers; E.B. Fay, secretary; and the committee were, T. Clegg, T. McCarthy, J. Healy, F. Smith, M. Murray, and M. McDonagh.

On Easter Monday, March 25, 1951, Cloth Manufacturer’s sports club organised its first contest, a ‘GAA game’ at Celtic Park, Cootehill, to be played against a team from Tara Shoes Limited, Kells. The Kells Brass Reed Band, which accompanied Tara Shoes, played at a gala evening for the teams that night, to be held in St Michael’s Hall, Cootehill. The dancers, noted the paper, were looking forward to their first encounter with the Odeon Dance band who too were booked for their first visit to the town.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Ireland witnessed the mass emigration of countless men and women who went in search of employment in the English cities and the United States of America. Cootehill’s hinterland was especially hit by emigration. The Town Commissioners brought home the importance of training young people, requesting ‘the formation of a class in the Cootehill Technical School for the purpose of training employees’ to give them the skills to join the factory. Cloth Manufacturers eventually ceased trading in 1973.

However, it can be said, that Cootehill was always an enterprising town; in 1950, there were seven manufacturing firms in Cootehill, Cloth Manufacturers Ltd; W.H. Woods and Sons Ltd, sawmills and egg store (employed 50); M. Mullen and Sons Ltd, furniture makers (employed 50); Stephenson and Sons, timber merchants (employed 25); O’Brien Coffin makers (employed eight); Thompson Bros Bakery (employed 20); McKay’s Bakery (employed 10). Cootehill, like many of Cavan’s towns has a strong ethic of fostering strong industrial development.

Destroying his Lordship’s trees

On June 18, 1864, a boy, named William Gunn was summoned by an upset William Humphrys, Esq, of Ballyhaise House, when he was found injuring trees in Humphry’s Ballyhaise demesne. Patrick Mackaroon was testified that he caught Gunn red-handed in the demesne ‘with a holly plant like a fishing rod’. The wood was freshly cut from one of Mr Humphry’s trees and Gunn stood there blatantly with a saw and hatchet in his hand.

In the courtroom, Mr Thompson thought, it was well for Gunn that the last witness did not place a value on the holly rod, for if he had, he may have ‘subjected’ him’ to a much larger ‘penalty’. The Court, wrote theCavan Weekly News, had dealt ‘leniently’ with Master Gunn ‘in fining him 2s 6d and costs, or a week’s imprisonment’.

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