THE discovery of a lost archive in the attic of a city home has revived memories of the generations of Limerick people who worked at the Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street from the 1850s through to the 1970s.
Elements of the industrial history was preserved when the factory site was transformed into a housing development by Limerick City and County Council but many of the key archives were thought to have been lost.
However, thanks to the foresight of former worker Charlie Greene, the records dating back to the mid-19th century were safely stored in the attic of his Limerick home.
Charlie Greene had worked his way up from the factory floor to management of the Limerick Clothing Factory. During these decades, the company was sold again and again and it was believed that the records were lost along the way.
When the factory closed its doors in 1974, Greene retained some of the books from his old employers, storing them safely in his attic. They include minute books detailing not only the day to day running of the factory but changes in shareholders and order letters from customers as far away as Egypt.
He continued in the clothing trade becoming a founding member of Shannon Clothing Ltd. Following his death in 1981, his wife Kaye kept them safe until she passed away 33 years later.
The lost records were subsequently discovered by family friend Mike O’Shea, who donated them to the Limerick council archives service where they are being digitised to make them publicly available online.
Historian, Sharon Slater, author of “A Stitch in Time, a history of the Limerick Clothing Factory”, described the archive as an incredible find for Limerick.
“It will undoubtedly become a research tool for future scholars and those with family connections to the factory,” she added.
Limerick City and County Council Archivist, Jacqui Hayes said it was remarkable to see collections like these survive in such a good state of preservation.
“I am delighted to be able to accept the collection into Limerick City and County Council Archive service where we will provide for their ongoing preservation and most importantly digital access to the public’.
To mark the discovery of the archive, an exhibition is being hosted by Limerick Archives service in the People’s Museum, Pery Square from May 5 to May 26.
The digitised collection will be made available later this year.
