Togher Community Development - Vicars Road

At the beginning of 1983 , the Togher Community Association undertook a scheme to provide employment to teenage girls in Togher. Those who signed up for the opportunity were trained at ANCO throughout the spring and were given jobs in an industrial garment factory on Vicar's Road operating machinery that summer with the official opening taking place in December 1983. The management was all male , including Con O'Brien - Factory Manager ; Tony Carey - Production Manager and Denis Harrington - Floor Supervisor. The factory was opened to great fanfare by the Lord Mayor - Togher's John Dennehy and several Government Officials. Besides primarily manufacturing raingear and hospital garments , the factory secured a contract with Apple in Knocknaheeny. However even this was not enough to save the project as it sadly closed in 1985 due to the economic downturn of that decade. Today the former site of Togher Community Development Ltd. - its official title , is now occupied by Swan Beds. Two former employees , Mags Murphy and Anna Marie O'Shea , have fond memories of their time there and have shared some of their stories and memorabilia with the Blog. Cllr. Fergal Dennehy kindly shared some material from his family archives which documented the opening.

Swan Beds , Vicars Road 

formally Togher Garment Factory

 Clergy and Management at opening December 1983

 Lord Mayor , Officials and Management at opening

Tony Carey showing samples to Lord Mayor

Below are members of the Garment Factory including Management and Staff. The short lived project can now be brought back to life and given its place in the annals of local Togher history.

 Con O'Brien - Factory Manager

Tony Carey - Production Manager

Anna Marie O;Shea - Staff Member

 Anna Marie O'Shea : " I remember we were sub contracted to Apple at one stage. The rain gear we did had to be welded and I got stuck with it. I hated it , then they saw I had a flair for the overlocker and was put on that ; loved it. Loved the Apple part as well because you were standing most of the time and could move about. The overlocker had 4 needles and it was for the edges before the item was hemmed. I used to do hospital garments. " Anna Marie also made mention of some co-workers ; Ber, Christine, Ger ( Sister-in Law of Denis Harrington ) and Majella.

 Mags Murphy - Staff Member

Mags Murphy : " Con O'Brien was our boss there. We were trained in ANCO. We opened in 1983 and it closed in 1985. Dennis Harrington was our supervisor. It was to provide local employment to our area. Anna Marie O'Shea worked there with me. We made hospital disposable suits also. I loved it there. " Mags still has possession of the placue presented to all employees at the opening in December 1983 which can be seen below.

Original Staff Placue - 1983

Mags Murphy with original presented placue

Togher National School - A Special Photograph

Togher has many iconic photographs and images associated with it , which instantly stand out as being memorable and unforgettable. The following is no exception and may boast the title of Togher's first colour photograph! Each photograph has a backstory and thankfully the blog was able to make contact with the family behind it. The 3 children depicted are from left to right ; Marion Hoey nee Finn , Eleanor Hurley nee Finn ( white dress and red top ) and Patrick Finn. It was taken by their Uncle , Fr. William Finn towards the end of the 1960s. It was shot from a slightly elevated position on the Togher Railway bridge and shows the then Togher Boys National School. To the left can be seen ( hut painted green with red door ) Mrs. O'Sullivans sweet shop a.k.a. " Mrs.O's ". She lived in Deanrock Villa which is out of shot to the right. To the left of the picture can be seen the site of the future Boys and Girls National Schools which would be built in 1971. Today the old school has been transformed into a Community Centre , with many extensions and the original stone wall being moved out towards the main road to cater for an enclosed car park. The grass verge to the right of the children is the entrance to The Cutting , an enclave of houses which sadly were demolished in the late 1970s. Also in frame are the iron rails of the bridge.

Iconic photograph taken in colour by Fr. William Finn

Eleanor Hurley ( centre of photograph ) attended school in Togher from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. She would have begun in the old National School when it served both boys and girls and would have finished her education in the new Girls National School ( now Youth group centre ) when it opened in 1961. The blog would like to thank Eleanor Hurley for information relating to the photograph.

Hurricane Ophelia - Togher - Monday 16th October 2017

On Monday 16th October 2017 , an extremely rare natural event occurred in Ireland. Ex-Hurricane Ophelia - a Tropical Storm , arrived with winds exceeding 150 Kph. It left a trail of destruction in its wake as it mercifully traversed the land in just under 2 hours. The most tangible legacy was the enormous number of trees which were virtually uprooted. Eamonn Pearse and Eamonn Twomey of the Togher Historical Association drove around Deanrock Estate , Vicar's Road and the Lough to document the aftermath. The following videos show a snapshot of what they witnessed.

Deanrock Estate

Devil's Rock

Vicar's Road

The Lough