EXTENSION BY ABC BOTTLERS
October 1977
TO facilitate the expansion of its soft drink business, ABC Ltd., Mary Street North, completes the installation of a new bottling plant, costing £250,000
The first in a series of four open days for customers is held, at which the plant is officially opened by company chairman, Joe Macken, from Slane, Co. Meath.
About 200 people, including directors of the firm, various licensed and grocery traders attend.
All are given the opportunity to inspect the facility, and the operation as a whole.
This year, ABC is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Other lines of the business include distribution of stout, beer, wines and spirits.
In all, 60 people are employed, from manufacturing workers to delivery men.
The new plant greatly increases the soft drink bottling capacity. Annual output will rise to 1m dozen, from 300,000 dozen presently. Additional employment may be created, but what it will do for certain is secure existing jobs, says a spokesman. FEARS that Sinn Féin protestors, seeking to highlight the extradition question and Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act (a form of censorship), might interfere with an edition of RTE programme ‘ Today Tonight’ from the town hall, leads to security being stepped up.
Special branch officers are on duty inside, as are uniformed members of the gardaí outside, and invited members of the audience have to produce passes to get in.
The heightened security is as a result of an incident the previous Sunday when a small number of demonstrators try to gain admission to a screening of ‘Questions & Answers’, also in the town hall.
Show presenter, Olivia O’Leary deals with minor interruptions. Among the panel are Dáil deputies, Séamus Kirk and Brendan McGahon.
The presence of Energy Minister, Ray Burke, and Jeffrey Preece, representing British Nuclear Fuels, at ‘ Today Tonight’, also leads to tight security.
However, TT passes off without incident, as John Bowman chairs a debate on Sellafield, and possible links between a 1957 leak at the plant and pupils attending St. Louis secondary school in Dundalk.