OPINION (AN COLÚN): A shrine, briquette factory and a beautiful window

BIRR historian Jimmy Shortt gave a fascinating talk about the history of Derrinlough Briquette Factory during the recent Offaly Heritage Seminar.

The briquette factory is a massively important part of the life of South Offaly, but its days are now numbered thanks to the government's decarbonisation programme. Because we are trying to save the planet from a very bleak future filled with natural disasters and a catastrophic loss of life we must of course get rid of old industries such as Derrinlough. In 2024 workers who have plied their trade for years in the factory will probably either enter redundancy, be relocated elsewhere in Bord na Móna or will lose their jobs. A once thriving building will go quiet, perhaps for ever.

As if to ram the point home that the transition from the unacceptable to the acceptable is taking place in the area, a number of giant turbines have been erected in the immediate vicinity in recent months. Only a couple of people will be needed to run these. Meanwhile, 60 jobs will be lost in Derrinlough. Time and time again the job creation prospects of transitioning from fossil to renewable don't inspire one with confidence. It would be nice to see the government becoming more sympathetic and creative in this regard. Some might say pigs would sooner fly, but then again governments do sometimes prove the cynics wrong. For example, the transition seems to have been reasonable in Littleton near Thurles. The Littleton Briquette Factory employed 69 workers until it closed down in 2018. Bord na Móna opened a plastics recycling facility in the factory the following year, initially employing 40 people and expecting to expand to a hundred. In 2021 Deputy Jackie Cahill welcomed the good news that the recycling facility was expanding operations. It would be nice to hear a lot more good news stories like this. It would lift people's spirits.

Jimmy talked about the book published a couple of years ago, containing a large number of fantastic photographs by James Fraher of the briquette manufacturing process in Derrinlough. When the plant comes to an end, the book will be a very important record of a once thriving, vibrant industry.

Jimmy told us a number of interesting facts, such as it takes two tonnes of peat to make one tonne of briquettes (because of 50% moisture loss).

After Jimmy's talk Kevin O'Dwyer spoke about the recently published book 'St Manchan's Shrine – Art and Devotion in 12th Century Ireland' produced by himself and by Griffin Murray. This beautifully produced book examines the shrine in great detail, an object which is one of the masterpieces of medieval Irish art. The shrine is kept at Boher Church in Ballycumber. Kevin told us that it has been in this area for the last 900 years. “I first came across the shrine when I was living in Chicago 49 years ago. A friend gave me a book which featured the shrine. I was enthralled when I saw it. Then I moved to Ireland and when I realised that I was living very near the shrine it was an important moment for me.”

Kevin said he's been a metalsmith for many years. “St Manchan's Shrine is an amazing piece of metalsmithing. Even with today's more advanced methods you could not produce better.” Kevin also pointed out that Boher Church has five magnificent Harry Clarke windows.

After Kevin, Michael Byrne gave a talk on Castle Street, Birr. As I live right beside this street I found the subject matter very interesting. A distillery once operated on the street until it was replaced by a brewery in the early 1900s. Michael said the distillery had been the most important business in Birr until the 1840s. He explained the origin of the name 'Spinners' on the street. This building was previously Cleary's woollen merchants. He appealed to anyone who may have human interest stories about the street to please contact him.

Finally, Gerry Murphy told us about the beautiful Mary Lowndes stained glass window in St Mary's Church Shinrone. Stored away in obscurity for many years the local community restored this fine piece and mounted it on the wall, in all its glory, in St Mary's. A lot of meticulous restoration work had to be done. In storage it became very dirty, so much so that you couldn't clearly make out some of the images.

Gerry also told us about another important piece of heritage in Shinrone. “We have an 1880 hurl in the village,” he said. “It's probably the oldest hurl in Offaly.”