Longest-serving manager of Thurles Sugar factory remembered after his death 20 years ago

Tom Cronin, the longest-serving manager of Thurles Sugar factory is being remembered after his death 20 years ago in November.

The Sugar Factory was the economic heart of Mid Tipperary and employed factory workers, hauliers, farmers, chemists, accountants, and administrative staff for over 50 years.

The factory also employed women in the packing area and the factory canteen. The factory brought a diverse group of people together over the years.

Tom - who came from County Kerry - was firstly a merchant seaman (Radio Officer) in the British Merchant Navy. He worked primarily on oil tankers bringing crude oil to various ports around the world.

He loved that life but decided to return to education and to qualify as an engineer. He sat his A levels on board and had his exams supervised by the captain.

He qualified as an electrical engineer and came home.

After a brief spell in Carlow, he and his wife Kathleen moved to Thurles.

From the beginning, he loved his work, the production of sugar, the machinery, and the method of production.

The commencement of the “campaign” was the starting pistol for “the busiest time” of the year.

The factory operated on a 24-hour basis, breakdowns were frequent resulting in telephone calls to the house in the small hours.

He never minded those summonses to the factory no matter what hour and the end of the campaign gave him a sense of a job well done and a mission accomplished.

When the factory ultimately closed all that history, the smell of the beet, the smoke billowing, and the silence after all the activities left a void in Thurles.

The factory was operated by so many hard-working men and so many characters, including the fondly remembered Tom Cronin.