“The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix,
Her ashes new create another heir
As great in admiration as herself..” – William Shakespeare
The Erin Foods factory had been in operation in Thurles, Co Tipperary, for some 46 years, until it closed in June of 2008, with the immediate loss of 95 jobs.
This closure was then just one of over 20 such industry finalities that saw closure in Thurles over the previous 25 years, thus forcing hundreds of Thurles residents, both young and middle aged, to migrate to larger Irish costal cities or to emigrate abroad altogether, in their efforts to find employment.
March 7th 2020 – Picture G. Willoughby
This now being demolished Thurles plant had been involved in the production of Erin Soups and Sauces, Campbell Soups and some MacDonald Sauces.
The then owners of Erin Foods; Premier Foods, while aware of the impact this closure would have on their employees and their families; following a group-wide company review; recommended the consolidation of its production of key brands, which inevitably resulted in the signing of a death warrant for the Thurles plant.
March 21st 2020 – Picture G. Willoughby.
Old Erin Foods Site Set For €24 Million Redevelopment
But despite a 12-year wait, now a new building is due to rise from the current rubble.
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG, latter a German global discount Supermarket Chain, based in Neckarsulm, Germany; through their architects Clarman, have acquired full Planning Permission, in a joint partnership between Wesley Quirke of Baycross Developments Ltd., and Castletown Capital Ltd.
This project will comprise of 3 phases:
Phase 1 :- The demolition of the existing buildings and full site clearance, currently underway.
Phase 2 :- The construction of a new site entrance, again already cleared.
The site will be accessed by means of a proposed new roadway which will form the initial phase of the long awaited inner relief road for Thurles, linking Slievenamon Road to the Mill Road.
Phase 3 :- The construction of the new state of the art retail store and 60,000 sq. ft. business centre, thus enabling the entire site to be redeveloped.
This project is expected to take a further 2 years to fully complete, and will revitalise a prime site, latter which has been dormant for almost 12 years, while generating significant job opportunities and the revitalisation, hopefully, of the local Thurles economy.
Unfortunately George, recent confirmation of works + development on that site will Now Only be the construction of the proposed Lidl Store ! Question..A Pre-Election announcement…..Fake News..Mmmmm ??