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A classic Raleigh Chopper bike sits atop the roof of an old Ford Escort. Many Irish children learned to cycle on these bikes. File picture

The news that Accell UK & Ireland, which owns Raleigh in Britain, has filed notice of its intention to appoint administrators brought back memories of skinned knees, hands covered in oil and muck from putting the chain back on (why did it come off so often?), and freewheeling down hills that were far too steep, with predictable consequences.

Raleigh may have been born in Nottingham, but it belonged to Irish childhoods too. From around 1936, its bicycles were first assembled and later manufactured in Dublin, with Irish production continuing during the war years while the Nottingham factory turned much of its attention to munitions.