Golden memories of wonderful days gone by and predictions of a very bright commercial future were shared at the official launch of The Liebherr Story which attracted over 250 people to the Europe Hotel and Resort.
The importance of the container crane factory and the Liebherr hotels to the people of Killarney, Kerry and beyond was clear to see with a mix of former and current employees, suppliers, TDs, councillors, members of the public and representatives of the Liebherr family helping to launch Tom Foley’s meticulously researched and well-crafted new book.
Special guests on the night included Mayor of Killarney Cllr Niall Kelleher, Interim CEO of the Industrial Development Authority Mary Buckley, Chief Executive of Kerry County Council Moira Murrell, Isolde Liebherr and her daughter Patricia Ruf and Gerry Bunyan, MD, Sales at Liebherr Container Cranes.
Ms Buckley said Liebherr’s success is IDA Ireland’s success as both organisations share an ambition and vision to be sustainable, innovative and responsive to the needs of industry in an ever-changing and challenging global environment.
Ms Murrell, meanwhile, highlighted Liebherr’s enormous contribution to the region through its collaboration with the IDA and local authorities, as well as with Munster Technological University to develop the required skills.
She said Liebherr has been an integral part of Kerry life, with thousands of people working with the company over the years and Ms Murrell noted that it is those people whose stories are recounted in the book.
Isolde Liebherr spoke of the long history of Liebherr in Ireland and highlighted the importance of Killarney to the family.
She said lifelong friendships were made and Killarney was like a second home to her family.
Isolde fondly recalled her first visit with her father, Hans, in 1958 when he came to set up the factory. The roadway from Cleeney Roundabout to the Michael Moynihan roundabout in Killarney has been formally named the Hans Liebherr Road.
Killarney businessman Tim “Mackey” O’Shea told the gathering about the now legendary delegation of local business people and dignitaries – including his father, Michal ‘Mackey’ O’Shea – who made it their business to make off the German industrialist staying at the Great Southern Hotel and to show Hans Liebherr what Killarney had to offer.
Their bold move paid handsome dividends for the town as, it is understood, Mr Liebherr had been considering setting up his factory elsewhere.
The book’s author, Tom Foley, about his time at Liebherr, the people he worked with and the many stories he collected as he wrote The Liebherr Story.
He had a few prescient words about the delegation that served to illustrate the importance of their initiative in tracking down Hans Liebherr and how the repercussions of that single act are still felt today, almost 70 years later.
“Were it not for their intervention, somebody else, in some other hotel, in some other town, perhaps, even in some other country, would be standing here this evening, launching The Liebherr Story,” he said.
Mr Foley said Liebherr’s presence in Killarney and its importance to the people of Kerry and beyond, is generational and the opportunity and affluence that accompanied the company’s arrival is keenly felt to this day.
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