Henry Ford and his links to Ballinascarthy, West Cork

TO this day the legend persists that if only the parish priests hadn’t got involved, Ballinscarthy in West Cork would have its own Ford factory.

The village, just a few kilometres north of Clonakilty, is the birthplace of William Ford, father to Henry Ford, the carmaker extraordinaire who transformed American life. Born 150 years ago today in the month when the largest city in his home state of Michigan — Detroit, the Motor City — has declared bankruptcy, it might be appropriate to review his family’s connection with Ballinascarthy, and in particular, the time one of America’s richest men decided he couldn’t afford the asking price for a piece of his own family’s past.