Madam, - Barry Roche's excellent article of October 15th implied that Ford's legacy in Cork ended with the company's plant closure in 1984.
It didn't. Cork's pharmaceutical industry is the economic engine of the county - and a great many of the early staff and management learned their skills in dealing with major US corporations at Ford.
Industrial development is all about moving up the ladder, one rung at a time. With great foresight the IDA attracted US pharmaceuticals to Cork, and the Ford-trained local staff helped them prosper. The baton was passed successfully.
A big debt is owed to Paddy Hayes, who persuaded Ford to keep the plant open well beyond its profitable life - vital years, as the US firms began to arrive in numbers.
Cork is a a prosperous county today thanks to the foundation stones laid by the Ford Motor Company. - Yours, etc,
MARTIN McCARTHY, Clarinda Park West, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.