My ancestors - O'Meara - Contents
O'Mara's bacon company, Limerick
- References:
- 100 years of O'Mara's, Limerick Leader, Sat 18 Feb 1939.
- Sources yet to be consulted:
-
"O'Maras of Limerick and their Overseas Businesses",
by Morgan McCloskey,
Old Limerick Journal, No.37, Summer 2001.
-
"O'Maras of Limerick and their Overseas Businesses",
O'Mara's bacon factory, Roches St, Limerick.
Photo 1978.
Junction of Roches St and Anne St.
O'Mara's bacon company, the source of generations of O'Mara family wealth,
was founded as O'Meara's bacon company by James O'Meara (later O'Mara) in his house, Mungret St, Limerick, in 1839.
James O'Meara changed the company name (and his name) to the more snappy O'Mara's bacon company.
A dedicated factory was set up nr top of Roches St, centre of new town, Limerick.
The business is listed as "James O'Mara", "provision merchant" at 30 Roches St in [Directory of Cork & Munster, 1867].
The business is listed as "James O'Mara and sons", "provision merchants" at 30 Roches St in [Slater's Directory, 1881].
James and his 2 eldest surviving sons Stephen O'Mara and Jack O'Mara built up the business over the 19th cent into a great success.
They set up Russian Bacon Company 1891,
and from 1891 to 1903 they imported bacon from Russian Bacon Company, Gryazi, Russia into London.
Jim O'Mara
was agent for O'Mara's in London
until he died 1893.
James O'Mara
was agent for O'Mara's in London
1893-1914.
He imported bacon from
Romania.
[Modern Ireland, 1899]
describes
Stephen O'Mara
as then head of
the company,
says "nearly 100" people then employed at Roches St.
Stephen O'Mara
bought bacon factory
in Palmerston, Ontario, Canada.
Joe O'Mara
went out to run it.
Jack O'Mara
was manager of O'Mara bacon factory before his death 1919.
Stephen O'Mara
was Managing Director of O'Mara Ltd as at 1923.
He
founded bacon factory in Claremorris, Co.Mayo, 1930.
He
founded bacon factory in Letterkenny, Co.Donegal.
Marcus O'Sullivan
managed the Limerick factory
c. late 1930s.
In 1938 the family business went public.
Bacon Company of Ireland formed,
with
Jack O'Mara
as Managing Director,
and subsidiaries the 3 bacon factories:
- O'Mara's bacon factory, Roches St, Limerick city.
- Bacon factory, Claremorris, Co.Mayo.
- Bacon factory, Letterkenny, Co.Donegal.
Stephen O'Mara was Chairman of Bacon Company of Ireland at time of his death 1959.
In 1987 the Bacon Company of Ireland
merged with other companies to form Irish Country Bacon.
Shortly afterwards the old O'Mara factory in Limerick finally closed,
after 150 years.
In 1988/9 the O'Mara factory was demolished, and the site sold,
became a car park.
The site is now the multi-storey car park
on the entire block bounded by Roches St, Anne St and Roche's Row.
Location of O'Mara's bacon factory, Roches St, Limerick.
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From Google Maps.
Site of O'Mara's bacon factory (car park building on RHS).
Junction of Roches St and Anne St (same location as 1978 photo above).
Photo 2009.
See full size.
See similar shot.
See other shot.
Site of O'Mara's bacon factory (car park building).
Photo from Roches St.
Photo 2009.
See full size.
Site of O'Mara's bacon factory (car park building on LHS).
Junction of Roches St and Roche's Row.
Photo 2009.
See full size.
See wider shot.
O'Mara's letterhead, 1886.
They were on the
telegraph.
See larger
and full size.
O'Mara's letterhead, 1898.
They were on the
telephone.
See larger
and full size.
O'Mara logo, centenary dinner, 1939.
See larger
and full size.
"The English beef, the Welshman sheep,
The Scotchman haggis gnaws;
The Esquimo holds walrus fat
Between his greasy paws;
The Frenchman nibbles froggies' legs;
New Yorker's gobble clams,
But Irishmen who know what's what
Stick to O'Mara's Hams."
- Verse in booklet of O'Mara's centenary dinner, Savoy restaurant, Limerick, 11 Feb 1939.
The dinner included port from 1889
and cognac from 1839.
- Limerick's Life
by Sharon Clancy
-
The Fry Model Railway Museum
at Malahide Castle
has a photo of a tram at Salthill, Co.Dublin,
sometime post-1896,
with an "O'Mara's Limerick Bacon" ad on the front.
In the model railway itself, one of the miniature trams
has this ad on it,
and an ad for
"Denny's Bacon".
- See also Donnelly's bacon factory, Dublin.
