History of the Motor Industry in Ireland

WHEN we are thinking about buying a new car this January, several manufacturers, models and shapes are likely to pass through our mind as we search for the vehicle that best suits our eye.

While virtually all of the cars now on the road in Ireland come from manufacturers solely based abroad, Ireland, despite its relatively small size, had a strong tradition of assembling and indeed making cars on the island up until the relatively recent past.

If we go back to the very early days of the Irish State, car manufacturing was part of life in the city of Cork. Ford had opened a factory to produce tractors in 1917, but from 1921 cars started to come out of the factory too, which employed up to 7000 people at its peak.

Ford, a very popular model of car in Ireland over the years, produced a range of models from their Cork base, which was the first purpose built facility for the company in Europe.

Prior to Ford establishing a base here, there was a necessity for cars to be assembled on the island itself due to import taxes. Volkswagen, for example, assembled cars in Ballsbridge, Dublin, their first base outside of Germany.

Since Ireland’s entry into the EU in the early 1970 s, and into the 1980s, the need for cars to be made on the island has decreased due to new and less costly taxes on imports. Ford ended its production at its Cork facility in the 1980s and since then the amount of cars on the roads has not just increased, but the diversity in terms of the types of cars, jeeps and other vehicles has too. Indeed, the wider range of manufacturers and their availability to Irish motorists with dealerships around the country means there is a much more diverse set of cars now driving on Irish roads.

So, as we consider buying a new vehicle this year, be mindful of the changes the industry in this country has undergone.