DUNDALK REACTION:DIAGEO'S DECISION to cease brewing in Dundalk marks the end of a long history of brewing at the town's Great Northern Brewery, which opened in 1846.
The announcement has been met locally with disappointment but not surprise as the company signalled its intention in May 2008 to halt brewing there by the end of 2012.
The news marked the final chapter in the town’s great manufacturing tradition, according to the chairman of the local chamber of commerce, Paddy Malone.
“The railway engineering, shoe and cigarette manufacturing industries are all gone and now the brewery is going,” he said.
Mr Malone called on Enterprise Ireland and Diageo to explore the possibility of securing an alternative use for the site.
“The brewery is a magnificent facility and it would be a shame if it was simply mothballed. I believe it could be put to alternative uses such as the manufacture of industrial alcohol or possibly fuel for cars if another drinks company isn’t found to buy it,” he said.
Councillor Marianne Butler, chairwoman of the local town council, said it was a “sad, sad day for the workers and the town”.
Ms Butler said she hoped to lead a local delegation in talks with senior Diageo executives next week on the future of the landmark site and to explore the potential of using it for other purposes.
Local Labour TD Gerald Nash said the news was “very disappointing coming in the teeth of a very difficult recession”, especially for the 55 full-time staff and other contract workers at the plant.
He said he had asked the company to support any of the workers who wished to remain with the firm elsewhere and that he hoped any redundancy package would reflect the excellent service given by the workforce.
John Mathews, manager of the Dundalk Resource Centre for the Unemployed, described the announcement as another blow for the town. “Dundalk has gone from being one of the country’s biggest industrial towns to becoming one of its biggest unemployment black spots,” he said.
“Trying to cope with redundancy can be devastating especially for people in their 50s as they may have never been out of work before and find it very difficult to cope with that.”