The closure of the Ford plant in Cork came as a surprise to its staff

One of the more remarkable aspects of the closure of the Ford plant in 1984 was that so many people were left reeling in surprise.

Despite being aware of the demise of other assemblers, as well as being ‘conditioned’ by management over the previous two years, the news came as a huge shock to many.

While the workers had anticipated bad news, few, it appears, had anticipated the plant’s complete closure.