The speculation ended for Arklow last night as news reached employees of the imminent closure of the IFI factory.
Mr Joe Weadick, a safety adviser, who was with IFI for 38 years, said that he had enjoyed working at the plant. "I reared my family here and grew to love it. This was one of the first chemical industries in Ireland. We have about 25 very young people working here and their future is uncertain now."
Mr Chris McGeary, who was with IFI for 22 years, said that his father had begun working at the plant when it opened in 1964.
Many employees in Arklow had expected the Cork plant to go, but there was talk of the Arklow plant remaining open, said Mr Pat O'Sullivan (51), who spent 18 years with IFI as an electrical foreman.
"There may be 300 or 400 people affected by this overall, because of the large contracting business connected to IFI in Arklow. Most of the haulage business in Arklow does business with IFI."
Mr Dave Morris, a worker/director at the company for 12 years, was very disappointed at the outcome of yesterday's board meeting between IFI and the Government.
"People here have worked for as long as 37 years with IFI. A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes. We have done everything to ensure the company's survival. Our priority now is to secure a decent severance package for all employees.
"We have to accept that liquidators have been called in. There was talk of a third party getting involved, but that fell through. It is still possible that something could be resurrected."
Iarnród Éireann will also be affected by the closure. It had a contract with IFI worth an estimated €4 million annually for transporting ammonia from the Cork plant.
Mr Tommy Dunne, president of Arklow Chamber of Commerce, said that while the IFI closure was a severe blow, an influx of commuters from Dublin in the past decade meant that Arklow no longer relied on one or two major employers.
Mr Dunne pointed out that Arklow's population is expected to double to 20,000 over the next 10 years.