This is the story of small and once a very significant Co Clare town, Sixmilebridge, It is a growing town on the banks of the O’Garney River and located approximately midway between Limerick and Ennis, approximately 10 kms north east of Shannon Airport. Our story begins in 1630 and continues until the present. The heritage of Sixmilebridge is steeped in manufacturing. There is evidence that Sixmilebridge has been a significant settlement and centre for manufacturing, and exporting to UK and Europe from as early as the 1630’s to the present time. Our stories about Sixmilebridge has never been fully told locally or nationally.

The Manufacturing Heritage of Sixmilebridge Circa 1630 -2018 This is the story of a small and once a very significant Co Clare town, Sixmilebridge, It is a growing town on the banks of the O’Garney River and located approximately midway between Limerick and Ennis, approximately 10 kms north east of Shannon Airport. Our story begins in 1630 and continues until the present. Let us begin. Situated on the O’Garney River, Sixmilebridge is a visually attractive town with significant historic character. As the name would suggest the town centres around a bridge crossing the river, “located six Irish Miles from Limerick on what was the old mail coach road!”. The O’Garney flows to the Shannon estuary at Bunratty. The town is twinned with Nord-Sun-Erdre. As its name suggests, it is on the River Erdre, north of Nantes. There are regular formal exchanges and annually visitors come for our Winter Music Festival which celebrates our musical heritage in January each year. Sixmilebridge boasts a number of historic buildings as well as three ‘squares’ and a ‘green’. Three of the historic buildings have been restored and conserved for modern use, Kilfinaghty Church as a library, the Barracks as a Credit Union and the Bridewell as a residence. The former exchange building is still in use, now as auction rooms. The centre of the town is also a designated Architectural Conservation Area, the aim of which is to retain the overall special historic or architectural character of the area. The quality of buildings reflects the prosperous business and industrial heritage which this project seeks to record and exhibit. Sixmilebridge and Manufacturing Place The heritage of Sixmilebridge is steeped in manufacturing. There is evidence that Sixmilebridge has been a significant settlement and centre for manufacturing, and exporting to UK and Europe from as early as the 1630’s to the present time. Our stories about Sixmilebridge has never been fully told locally or nationally. • Tanning and shoe manufacture in 1630’s. The sale of this industry has links with Dutch artist, Rembrandt). o “ Johannes de Renialme, merchant and art dealer, c. 1600-1657, was of Antwerp origin and was a patron on Rembrandt.. He was first married to Margrieta Bartolotti van den Heuvel (who died in 1630). After the death of his first wife, he married Maria de Cocquel, the daughter of Jacques de Cocquel. On 25 June 1635, he transferred and sold to Pieter Cruytpenninck (Cruypenning) a great tannery and shoe mill (schoomolen) located in Sixmilebridge in the County of Thomond in the Kingdom of Ireland, and leather for making soles valued at 2,000 f., the whole transfer amounting to 11,000 f. (NA 612, fol. 12, Not. Sybrant Cornelisz.)” • Rape seed oil was processed and soap manufactured in 1700’s and 1800’s in Ballintlea, and exported by ship to Europe from Ballintlea Pier in Sixmilebridge. A mile east of the town on the O’Garney River was Ballintlea pier, one the dock for ships. Also, at Ballintlea is the remains of the Soap and Rape Seed Oil factory the exported most of its products to light the oil lights of Europe. Bricks from Holland were used in the construction of Mount Ievers Court, were ballast on incoming ships. Mount Ievers Court is a great house and still the home of descendants of the original Ievers Family. • Yarns were milled from 1863 to 2005 were all operations and employers in the town. o "James O Flynn Senior arrived in Sixmilebridge in 1863 from the Clare Glens, Newport, Co. Tipperary. The family were well known in the Newport area because of a well-established Woollen Mills. James O Flynn started a similar business in Sixmilebridge upon his arrival using an existing old water wheel. He also supplied Ennis and Limerick with frieze cloth made in the Sixmilebridge Woollen Mill,” Flynn’s yarn mills employed over 200 people and had an office in Brussels in the 1920’s. • There was timber milling and engineering operations owned by James O’Regan. James O’Regan acquired in the 1920’s the first Fiat dealership in Ireland. To accommodate the Fiat Dealership, he sold the Timber business and purchased the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis as the preferred location of Fiat for the motor car dealership. However, his other businesses in Sixmilebridge continued. • Today Engineering and electronics currently operate for export and sub supply to companies in Shannon. Today manufacturing continues in the industrial estate located on the sight of the former Flynn’s Mills. • The Annagore Yarn Mill at Sooreeny (a mile west of the town) was a ruin in 1856 has recently been conserved and restored as a family home. • Sixmilebridge is railway town since 1856 transporting people and goods. In 2004 to acknowledge the installation a new Water Treatment plant a sculpture was erected in the river by the bridge, titled “the Millers Return” celebrating the industrial and manufacturing heritage. Sixmilebridge is the birthplace of innovator, developer and public servant Dr Brendan O’Regan, a son of James O’Regan. In 1945 he was appointed Catering Comptroller at Shannon Airport. From this base, he embarked on a series of visionary projects which transformed the Shannon Region, many of which were replicated in Ireland and internationally: • Shannon Free Zone - a duty free port and Ireland’s first designated centre for industry and foreign direct investment. • Bunratty Castle medieval entertainment and folk park - leading to development of Shannon Castle Tours and Shannon Heritage. • Shannon College of Hotel Management at Shannon – a world renowned college for hotel management. • Duty Free Shopping at Shannon Airport – World’s first airport duty free shop • Shannon Development - Ireland’ first regional economic development agency. • Established Co-operation North (now Co-operation Ireland). Brendan O’Regan died aged 90 in 2008. The Heritage Project These are some of the stories that make up the heritage of Sixmilebridge as a centre for industry and manufacture for two centuries. Sixmilebridge Historical Society propose to record and present this manufacturing and industrial heritage, which has Irish, UK and European connections for the benefit of locals and visitors.

Our European heritage is based on a small west of Ireland town making and exporting goods to Europe for over 400 years. A Dutch man sold his tannery and shoe factory to another Dutch man in 1635 to support his patronage of Rembrandt. Our yarn manufacturer Mr O'Flynn had sales office in Brussels in 1920's