TEMPLEMICHAEL IRON WORKS

On Friday, 16 October 1998, an image of Templemichael Mills from 1945 was published in the Evening Echo, along with a request for information about the site's history.  A response came two weeks later from Denis Murphy, a former employee at the enterprise.  Templemichael Mills, situated ten kilometres north of Cork city, was originally owned by John Gibbings, who also owned the Munster Iron Company on North Main Street. The earliest reference to the mills can be found in an advertisement in the Cork Examiner dated December 9, 1859, which offered various iron products, including cart axles, ship’s knees ‘and scrap iron work of every description’.  Further records indicate that Gibbings leased just over five acres of land in Templemichael for an annual rent of £30. 

Figure 1: Templemichael Mills, 1945.

The mill eventually fell into disrepair, and when Matt Porteous acquired the site, he undertook significant renovations to restore it. According to the Cork Examiner on March 8, 1933, Porteous ‘worked wonders … he has repaired the dwelling house and mill, one portion of which is already working, and in a very short time, he hopes to have completed the restoration, and to have the entire mills in full swing.  The use to which they will be put is that which was originally intended for them – the manufacture of spades and shovels, and, in addition, gates, railings, tools and all manner of general ironwork.’  Porteous, recognising that the Glashaboy was key to his success, built a dam to conserve water supply overnight when the river was low.

Initially, business was slow, but improvements in design led to increased sales, particularly from the production of forks sold under the well-known brand Darby.  Porteous then expanded into cutlery manufacture, which flourished after diesel engines were installed to provide additional power.  World War II posed challenges in securing raw materials, but the dismantling of railway lines nationwide resolved this issue.  During the night shift, the rails were forged into bars, which were then suitable for day production; however, yet more problems were to beset the mills in 1941.  The Irish Press, 14 November 1941, noted that the factory ‘was destroyed by fire’ despite the best efforts of the Cork Fire Brigade who, ‘though unable to save the building, prevented the fire from spreading to a large forge, water wheel and store containing crude oil.’  Matt Porteous acted quickly to reassure the public that ‘despite the damage by fire at the premises of Messrs. Porteous, shovel makers, Templemichael, Co. Cork, the company is able to meet all orders.’  (Irish Press, 17 November 1941)

Matthew Samuel Porteous passed away unexpectedly at the age of 42 due to a cerebral haemorrhage. Nevertheless, operations at the mill continued under Dwyer & Co. Ltd. as Templemichael Mills Ltd. The site was expanded in 1963, with the foundation stone laid by Corkman Jack Lynch, then Minister for Industry and Commerce, and who was destined to become the new Taoiseach in 1966, the same year it was announced that the True Temper Corporation of America were coming to Cork.  According to the Southern Star, ‘Templemichael Mills already enjoys a considerable market, but the marketing resources of the True Temper Corporation opens up a new field.’  Of course, this expansion meant further employment for the men and women of Glanmire.  These marketing resources were evident in the company's regular attendance at trade shows, both at home (Cork Summer Show) and abroad.

Figure 2: Workers of Templemichael Mills, c.1965.

Eventually, True Temper moved to a ten-acre site in Ballinoe, although the old mill premises remained active;  the Cork Examiner edition of 28 July 1970, announced that ‘a new plastics factory has gone into production in the former Templemichael Mills at Whites Cross, Cork.’  Manufacture at True Temper was in full swing until 1978, when business was abruptly curtailed when a fire raged through the site, apparently an electrical fault causing the blaze. In the aftermath, the office staff moved location to the Sunbeam, but before long returned to Ballinoe when the buildings were once again functional.  The refurbished blue-hued factory of True Temper has been a feature of Whites Cross over the past fifty years and hopefully will continue in the future.

Figure 3: True Temper Tradeshow (1970s).

Many thanks to Glanmire Heritage Society for their collaboration on the history of the mills in Glanmire and if you have any further information or indeed the people in any of the images, please email irishfamilydetective@gmail.com