Author to discuss the history of Kynoch’s Factory
THE Latest Wicklow Historical Society lecture will see Christopher Power talk about the Kynoch’s Munitions Factory, which operated in Arklow from 1895 to 1920.
In its 25-year life span, Kynoch’s was the foremost industrial innovation of the south east corner of Ireland. Its extraordinary story begins with its surprising development in Arklow after it had originally been intended to be developed in Brittas Bay.
The lecture will also cover its controversial and politically motivated decline. The factory’s history coincided with a period of huge change in Ireland’s social and political fortunes. The Boer War, The First World War and The War of Independence all coincided with the factory’s mass output of cordite.
Industrial accidents and harsh working conditions as well as a unique economic opportunity never encountered before in the county’s history, all form part of the Kynoch’s story. Modern employee welfare and development are also features of its time in Arklow.
The biggest loss of life in Ireland during The First World War occurred on September 21, 1917, when 27 workers were killed in an explosion at the factory.
Christopher Power is the son of Arklow historian Pat Power and author of ‘Arklow’s Industrial Revolution’, a book covering the history of the Kynoch’s munitions factory in Arklow.
The talk is on next Monday, November 27, at 8 p.m. in the De La Salle Pastoral Centre. Admission is free and a donation box will be available for voluntary donations to help offset costs.