For Corkman Jerry Ahern, there was an unbroken family link to industrial life at the Marina from the opening of the Ford plant in 1919 to its closure in the mid-1980s.

O’Grady’s Irish bar rests on the High Road in Seven Kings near Dagenham.

Donncha Ó Dúlaing, widely known for his hugely popular radio shows Three-O-One, Highways and Byways and Fáilte Isteach, remembers his time in the accounts department at Henry Ford & Son.

Although he was only a teenager when the Ford and Dunlop plants on the Marina in Cork closed down in the early 1980s, the events left a lasting impression on Pat Kiernan.

After 67 years as an anchor employer at the Marina, a perfect storm of mounting losses, a hard recession, and the ending of tariffs on car assembly, meant the Irish plant had to close in 1984.

Elaine Duggan explores the social phenomenon of the Ford crates which have remained part of the country’s landscape.

 

The Government’s national enterprise policy which was announced yesterday is almost certain to become part of its general election manifesto next spring.

Graham Lee saw his name etched into the annals of Turf history after becoming the first ever Grand National-winning jockey to triumph in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot following his victory aboard Trip To Paris.

Public libraries in the UK are facing an “absolute disaster” and should try to emulate coffee shops, the author of an independent report into the service has said.

Irish rallying has received a major boost after Triton Showers was confirmed as title sponsor of the National Rally Championship.

Cork driver Matt Griffin and his AF Corse team-mates, Briton Duncan Cameron and Italian Michele Rugolo, were out of luck in the 4 Hours of Estoril, the final round of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

The Dunlop National Rally Championship will be decided tomorrow, with the nine-stage Downings Bay Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally determining whether reigning Dunlop champion Declan Boyle, current leader Clonmel’s Roy White (MG ZR) or Welsh ace Hugh Hunter (Subaru WRC) will win the prestigious Vard Memorial Trophy.

With their fourth win of the campaign Donegal’s Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) remain in contention to win back-to-back Dunlop titles.

Even though Donegal’s Declan Boyle secured enough points to land the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship, he will contest the Acesigns Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the series.

A gift from Ireland was ranked the 24th best out of the 274 presents given to US president Barack Obama between 2009 and 2012.

A high rate of attrition ripped through the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally that was won by Cork driver Darragh O’Riordan (Ford Fiesta WRC) and his Derry co-driver Tony McDaid.

In contrast to last year when Declan Boyle clinched the Dunlop National Rally Championship at the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally, the Donegal driver will journey to South Tipperary this weekend to keep his current title bid alive.

Sports Direct is to enter the Australian and New Zealand markets for the first time after signing a partnership with online discount retailer MySale.

The Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) made a bright start to Rally Poland – round seven of the World Rally Championship – and hold third place, seven seconds behind the VW Polo WRC of leaders Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia heading into today’s seven stages.

The make-up of next season’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is one of the main topics on the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) agenda in Dublin on Sunday.

A large fire has been brought under control by Cork City Fire Brigade at two industrial units near the city centre.

Dunlop champion Declan Boyle is an absentee from Sunday’s third round encounter the Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Rally.

Sports Direct is to hand its founder Mike Ashley a shares windfall worth a potential £65 million – as long as the retailer keeps up its rapid growth.

Irish motorsport is in the middle of its award season and sandwiched between last week’s Dunlop presentation and tomorrow night’s Valvoline Irish Forest Championship ceremony were the interviews for the prestigious Billy Coleman award.

Two rally champions have strongly advised transition year students: “It’s not cool to travel at high speeds.”

The slopes of Cork city’s northside breed character.

The American premiere of Cork writer Conal Creedon’s play, The Cure, takes place at New York’s Green Room Theatre on Sept 9 and will run for at least a month.

Mid 1960s or so, Brendan Larkin isn’t exactly sure.

With their fifth win of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) clinched the series with an emphatic victory in the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stone-throwers Rally.

Four councillors and a millionaire businessman who were at the centre of a collapsed planning corruption trial last week had received bribes from political lobbyist Frank Dunlop in return for rezoning favours, the Mahon Tribunal has found.

Red Cadeaux is set to drop back in trip after finishing a creditable third behind local runner Fenomeno in the two-mile Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto racecourse in Japan yesterday.

The annual awards usually throw up a few surprises but there was an air of predictability at yesterday’s Dunlop Ireland Champions of Motorsport Awards ceremony at the Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel.

A distinct lack of pace was blamed for the largely disappointing European showing in the Emirates Melbourne Cup, which was won by Green Moon.

Marcus Connaughton has written the definitive biography of legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher, writes Ed Power

The quest for supremacy in the Dunlop National Rally Championship reaches its conclusion tomorrow on the nine stages of the Donegal Harvest Rally, which is based in Donegal town.

Dunlop National Rally Championship leader Thomas Fitzmaurice has promised to intensify his attempt to win the series that moves to the penultimate stage at Sunday’s Auburn Lodge Clare Rally in Ennis.

It’s an unwritten rule — if you want to see Festival Fashion at its finest, you’ve got to go to the Electric Picnic. Journalist Paula Burns teamed up with photographer Barry Cronin to capture the coolest EP fans last weekend

Irish drivers, Robert Barrable and Keith Cronin had contrastingfortunes in their respective outings in the Barum Czech Rally Zlin (Czech Republic) and Rallye Terre de Lozere (France).

Cork’s Matt Griffin is upbeat ahead of this weekend’s fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone.

THE triple title challenge for the Dunlop National Rally Championship involving Kerry’s Thomas Fitzmaurice, Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Cork’s Brian O’Mahony enters a key phase on Sunday at the Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally.

At the end of the first leg of Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Ford Fiesta S2000) hold fourth place in the S-WRC category.