The closure of Carlow sugar factory was a massive blow to the town, but the factory has inspired a generation of entrepreneurs in the region, reports

al workers, the business has grown to include three separate companies Burnside Hydrocyl in Ballymoon, Burnside Eurocyl in Bagenalstown and Burnside Autocyl in Tullow, which has a subsidiary factory in Charlesburg, Pennsylvania.

Peter Wall worked in the Sugar Factory from 1962 to 1976 before returning to run the family blacksmith business at Chapelstown on the Tullow road on the outskirts of Carlow in 1976.

“The Walls have had a forge here since 1916. Before that, this was the forge for the Brownshill Estate and before that they say pikes were made here for the ’98 rebellion.”

He takes me to the oldest part of the complex, a cut-stone building with a brick archway in the shape of a horseshoe.

“The sugar factory was a great place to learn your trade. They made and repaired everything in-house, from the factory machines to the harvesters.

“You learned from the lad working beside you, there was plenty to learn and you came out with a range of skills.

“You had to be prepared to drop tools and do whatever was needed.”

Peter’s company, Walls Engineering, employs 50 people and is now managed by his two sons: “We do general engineering and general maintenance for bakeries and businesses like that. We do larger projects and did the steelwork for the Tottenham Hotspur grounds. Most of our work is Dublin based where 90pc of the work is structural steel.”

Other companies whose founders began their working lives in the factory include Jerry O’Toole who founded J&J

He served his time at the factory from 1982 to 1986, travelled the world and came back to found Piping Ltd, supplying and maintaining pipework for the food industry in particular — with clients that include Tetra Pack and Glanbia. He employs 20 people and takes on apprentices.

“I operate according to the ethos and values of the sugar factory. A man called Enda Smith was in charge of the apprentices and he was like a father to generations of us,” he said.

“In the factory you could undertake any course you liked and it was free as long as you passed your exams. It has left a great inheritance.”

The name Enda Smith comes up again when I meet Brian Lyons, Mick Kehoe Snr and Paddy O’Farrell, all former employees.

Apprentices

Brian Lyons explains that Enda Smith was the man who helped hundreds of young workers to reach their potential.

“When I started in the factory he noticed I was good with figures so I was sent to do accountancy in Rathmines and ended up as financial controller in Thurles.” Enda Smith died recently and he left meticulous notebooks detailing all the apprentices and all their achievements, says Paddy O’Farrell who worked in the factory in his youth and went on to become a teacher with the local VEC.

“In Enda’s time apprentices got a half-day on Wednesdays to attend courses provided they did two night classes. The apprenticeship scheme in the factory was an important factor in the Institute of Technology being based in Carlow,” he said.

Mick Kehoe (Snr) lists the achievements of the apprentices in international competitions. “They were always in the top 10 internationally and one year Carlow apprentices won first, second, fourth and sixth in the international technical drawing competition.”

It is little wonder the Carlow sugar factory is about more than memories — it has left a living legacy.