Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Returns to Family’s Ancestral Home Town to Mark Centenary of Ford in Ireland
April 20 2017 - 03:00PM
Business Wire
- William Clay Ford Jr., Executive
Chairman of Ford Motor Company, celebrates 100 years of Ford in
Ireland by unveiling plaque in Ford family’s ancestral home town of
Ballinascarthy
- Great-grandson of Ford Motor Company
founder, Henry Ford, to participate in civic reception hosted by
the Lord Mayor of Cork City, attended by 300 current and former
Ford employees
- Ford factory founded in Cork, Ireland,
was established in April 1917 – the first purpose-built Ford Motor
Company factory outside of North America
William Clay Ford, Jr., Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company
and great-grandson of the company’s founder, Henry Ford, today
unveiled a plaque and bench in Ballinascarthy, Ireland, to
commemorate 100 years of Ford in the country.
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Bill Ford, Hazel Ford Buttimer and Ciarán
McMahon, managing director of Ford Ireland (Photo: Business
Wire)
The unveiling took place in the centre of Ballinascarthy, a
small village 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Cork city, Ireland,
from where Henry Ford’s father, William Ford, and his family
emigrated to the U.S. in 1847. The family settled in Michigan,
where Henry Ford was born in 1863.
“I am excited and honoured to be coming home to Cork to
celebrate 100 years of Ford in Ireland,” said Bill Ford. “Ford
has deep roots in Cork, not only through my family’s historical
connection, but also through the impact that the Ford factory has
had as an engine for prosperity for the area over many
decades.”
During his visit Bill Ford will also participate in a civic
reception at Cork City Hall, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Cork City,
at which the contribution of employees of Henry Ford & Son
Limited during the past 100 years will be recognised. The
event will be attended by 300 current and former employees.
Henry Ford remained conscious of his family’s heritage
throughout his lifetime, choosing his ancestral home city of Cork
as the site for the first purpose-built Ford Motor Company factory
outside of North America. The Ford factory in Cork was established
in April 1917.
As Henry Ford said in his own words: “My ancestors came from
Cork, and that city, with its wonderful harbour, had an abundance
of fine industrial sites. There was, it is true, some sentiment in
it (the decision to establish the factory in Cork).”
The company that Henry Ford legally established in 1917 was
entitled Henry Ford & Son Ltd., and that continues to be the
legal name of Ford in Ireland to this day – the only Ford entity in
the world to include the full name of the company’s founder in its
title.
The Fordson tractor was initially the main product of the Cork
plant, which by 1929 had become the largest tractor factory in the
world. The factory also produced passenger cars including the
iconic Model T. The last Model T ever produced by Ford anywhere in
the world rolled off the Cork factory production line in December
1928.
The Model A, Model BF, Model Y, Prefect, Anglia, Escort, Cortina
and Sierra models also were manufactured in Cork until the plant’s
closure in 1984.
Ford today has the widest network of dealers of any automotive
manufacturer in Ireland, with 52 dealerships providing direct and
indirect employment to 1,000 people across the country.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 201,000 employees and 62
plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars,
trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its
business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging
opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and
mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and
servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs
approximately 52,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and
approximately 68,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated
businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company,
Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and
24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint
venture facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities).
The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year
Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in
1911.
For news releases, related materials, photos
and video, visit www.fordmedia.eu or www.media.ford.com.
Follow www.twitter.com/FordEu or
www.youtube.com/fordofeurope
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For Ford IrelandPearse O’Loughlin+353 87 629
9751poloughlin@cullencommunications.ie
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