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Johnny Burke: The Tuam Sugar Factory

April 24, 2019 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Johnny Burke will deliver our April lecture, on the topic of the Tuam Sugar Factory, on Wednesday 24 April at 8pm in the Heritage Room.

The Impact of Tuam Sugar Factory on North Galway 1933-87

The building of a sugar factory in Tuam in 1933 brought great hope, not only to the people of Tuam, but to the farmers of North Galway and surrounding counties. With farming at subsistence levels and emigration rampant, the idea of receiving a guaranteed payment for growing sugar beet seemed appetizing.  

This presentation will discuss the background to securing the factory for Tuam and how politics and the clergy had a big influence. At its peak, 250 were employed full-time, while another 500-600 gained seasonal work during the “campaign”. The Emergency of 1939-45 brought new challenges, while the 1950s and 1960s heralded the advance of mechanisation. In the 1970s, Ireland’s entry into the Common Market arguably signalled the death knell of Tuam Sugar Factory, which struggled to remain viable until the doors were finally closed in January 1987.

All are welcome to attend.

Johnny Burke: The Tuam Sugar Factory

Details

Date:
April 24, 2019
Time:
8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Venue

Old Girls’ School, Corrandulla
Old Girls School, Carrowbeg South
Co. Galway, Galway Ireland
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