The Democrat and Peoples Journal

Sat July 11 1959 – Page Six

Impressive Expansion of Old Dundalk Firm.

Cambricville Brewery’s Equipment Second to None

Home and Export Trade on Firm Footing

A unique event took place at the cambricville brewery of Messrs Macardle Moore and Co Ltd, on Thursday last when 80 members of the licensed trade of Dundalk were brought on a tour of inspection of the brewery and later entertained by the management.

As is generally known, very extensive alterations to the premises and installation of new plant at Macardles Brewery (as its usually called in Dundalk) for the best part of 2 years, and the visitors were having their first opportunity of seeing just how much had been done. It may be said right away that they were tremendously impressed by the installations and the obvious signs of prosperous working of one of Dundalk’s oldest and most stable industries.

Completely Automatic

The visitors first went through the various stages of brewing from the malt house to the vats, in which the various products are stored under temperature control, a process of manufacture which takes about 6 weeks. They then passed to the bottling department, which is certainly the major showpiece of the undertaking. This completely merchandised, from the bottle washing machine, via the filling and crowning machine, through the pasteuriser, to a machine which labels the bottles at the end of the chain. The piece de resistance of all of this plant is undoubtedly the machine which fills and seals the bottles. The process is completely automatic and time to within a fraction of a second. Each bottle is filled with exactly the right amount of liquor, sealed with a crown cap, and passed on to the pasteurising plant at the rate of about 7000 per hour. It takes about 50 minutes passing through the pasteurising plant during which it is subjected to varying temperatures rising to 145 degrees and gradually cooling until it passes through the very ingenious labelling machine. The Dundalk publicans took all this in rather wistfully, thinking of the labours of bottling as they know it.

Apart from the labour-saving factor, one is impressed in this department by the great emphasis placed on hygiene. The greatest care is taken in every operation to ensure absolute cleanliness, and in the cooperage department the visitors saw the lengthy process of cleansing of the barrels by means of stream jets and boiling water.

Nearly a century ago

The brewery at Cambricville has been operated for close on a century having been start in 1863. The Macardle family brewing business was begun some years earlier by Edward H. Macardle in the premises in Dublin Street, and later moved to Cambricville where they formed an imposing landmark for travellers on the GNR line, being added to from to time as the business expanded. After the death of the founder Mr E H Macardle, the business was controlled by many years by Sir Thomas Callan Macardle. And after his death by the late Mr Michael J. Macardle.

Since the Dundalk brewery commenced to manufacture the famous “Double Diamond” Ale some years ago there has been a great expansion in trade, and this, its expected will continue its rate of expansion with the introduction of Macardle’s Export Ale, in bottle and draught. The original Macardles No.1 Ale, always a great favourite, is doing better business than ever, and thus the firm manufactures 3 top class beers in the 3 main grades.

All manufactured in Dundalk

All these ales, of course, are manufactured entirely in Dundalk, as, also, is the old product, Macardles Stouts, also marketed in bottle or draught. A new development is the export of Macardles Stout to Liverpool so that the firm has entered into the export trade,

Quite recently the firm has undertaken the bottling of Skol Lager beer and reports on Thursday were that this has met with a good reception by the public. The firm also bottles Artic Ales and Barley Wines.

It was also encouraging to Dundalk ears to hear on Thursday last , that the products of Macardle Moore and Co are now to be had in corner of Ireland, North and South. IN fact a considerable export trade is carried on in Northern Ireland where its products are very popular. To be seen in the brewery where a number of large transportable yellow tankers of Double Diamond, which are used for the supply of wholesalers and large scale bottlers.

Long –Service Employees

Messrs Macardle’s brewery employs over 90 excluding executives and sales staff. While there are four employees over 50 years service, seven over 40 years, ten over 30 years and nine over 20 years, one noted quite a number of boys whos employment was made possible by the expanded trade. The visitors on Thursday last were met by Messrs A. L. Noore and R.B. Howick joint managing directors; Major T. Bevan and Mrs Bevan, directors; Mrs M.J. Macardle and by Messrs J.S Gormley, secretary, J.J. Macardle asst General Manager, R.A. Yoemans, Head Brewer, J Johnston, asst brewer and P. Halpin foreman cooper.

Second to none

Following their inspection of the brewery, the visitors were entertained in a marquee on the lawn at Cambricville, where Mr Moore welcomed them, expressing the pleasure of the directors at being their hosts. He hoped that having seen the brewery that they were impressed with it. The directors themselves were very proud of it and thought it second to none not only in the country but in these islands. They had the best technical knowledge procurable, the most modern plant, and a loyal and capable staff and workers. The directors were also proud of the fact the new building and installation have been completed by Dundalk enterprise. The builders were Messrs Duffy of Dundalk and electrician Mr Joe Cleary, both of whom both of whom he tanked very much for the care and attention which they had given to the undertaking. Experts who had seen the new installation during and since the erection expressed the view that it had been the best they had seen anywhere.

Now chiefly ale

The financing of the new enterprise had been raised by the company, and they had, of course taken a gamble to maintain this old Dundalk industry, but they hoped and expected that it would prove a wise step. The trade had changed very much; in the old days the trade was all stout, and now it was chiefly ale and they hoped that the new ventures would get sound support. They were now brewing “Double Diamond” in Dundalk, “Macardles Export” and “Macardles No1” Ales. They asked those of the licensing trade present not only to support the firm in Dundalk, as they always had done, but to ask their friends to support them. Their brewery in Dundalk was confronted with plenty of competition, and though they had seen so many small breweries go out, they intended to keep their gates open.

Something of their own

Mr J. McCourt , M.C.C, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Moore, his fellow directors and the management for their hospitality, said that Dundalk people looked on Macardles Brewery as something of their own. They were always glad to hear of any advancement or expansion in the firms business. Its foundations had gone back beyond the memories on anyone present, and during its existence it had not alone served a very useful purpose in the town of Dundalk, but the benefits given by the brewery to the people reached far beyond the town. In rural Louth, the labour employed in the production of barley used by the brewery was of immense vale to the area and in due course to the town. The industry and the plant which they had seen that day was extremely interesting and the part which had impressed him the most was the bottling and washing plant. He never realised that one machine could do such immense work in such a short time, they were proud to see such modern plant in one of their local industries. They were grateful to the directors for giving them the opportunity and for their lavish and generous entertainment. Mr B MacGuinness, seconding the vote of thanks, said since his young days the brewery had progressed enormously; its products were known throughout the country and he hoped would continue to expand; that sales would be multiplied and employment increased. Messrs  Patrick Hanratty and B. O’H Kennedy also spoke on behalf of the visitors, and Mr. B. Duffy for Messrs Duffy and sons returned thanks for the tributes paid to the firm.