Cork, 14 August, 2008 – Following brisk sales since its launch last October, the book “Are you still below?”, the only published history of the Ford Marina plant in Cork, has been reprinted.

 

“When we launched the book last year, we knew it would be of great interest to anyone whose family life was impacted in some way by the plant in Marina, but we have been surprised at the level of interest in the book which has seen the first print run sell out in just under nine months”, said Ford Ireland, Director of Marketing, Denis McSweeney. “It is fitting that in this the centenary year of Henry Ford’s Model T car there is such a high level of interest in the Ford heritage in Ireland.”

 

Written by Miriam Nyhan and published by Collins Press, the book is a complete history of the Ford Marina plant, chronicling its fortunes through the burning of Cork City, the birth of the new state, Civil, Economic and World Wars, and entry into the EEC.  At its peak the plant employed more people than any other company in Ireland, excepting the railroads.

 

Explaining the background to the title of the book, Denis McSweeney said: “Even after retirement Ford men always enquired how things were going on in the plant, how so-and-so was getting on, and in which department you were now working. The ubiquitous greeting, which I hear to this day, is “Are you still below?”