Irish Brands No Longer With Us

GerardKeating

Amalgam wrote: »

People tend to think the 'pallet' retail idea was a Lidl or Aldi creation. 3 Guys out in Ballybrack had it.. it was like walking into a barn, untiled floors and a corrugated roof.. stock straight from a pallet. It's a Tesco now.

Maybe in Ireland, but the ALDI brand dates from the early 60's and LIDL discount stores from the early 70's...

pauro 76

Been an exile for years, but are Homestead still going?

admiralofthefleet

pauro 76 wrote: »

Been an exile for years, but are Homestead still going?

yeah, i use some of their stuff in work

kvi and yellow pack would be two brands that are gone

mental07

Leaf......they were based in Leixlip and made chewing gum/sweets of some description?

fend

TheScribbler wrote: »

You may be right but they aren't making lightbulbs to my knowledge

Yeah they are... Dunnes Stock em

Up Tipp

Trigger Bars , HB Chocolate ? (Vague Memory) Valley Ice CREAM, Peggy's Leg !

TheScribbler

Uch, yes indeed Phoenix Ale. It had that lovely logo too. Letts Brewery in Waterford also produced Killians Red Beer (ale). It closed many years ago but is brewed now in the US as a red lagar for the US market.

TheScribbler

HB Chocolate was a rebranding of Urney carried out by Unilever when the acquired both HB & Urney from W D Grace. The rebranding didn't work and while the HB name has been retained for ice cream, Urney was dropped. Ureny is now back being manufactured as a specialist brand by LC Confectionery of Newbridge. They also acquired the Hadji Bey and Cleeves brands and are currently under relaunch.

TheScribbler

I also remember Valley but I seem to recall they were perhaps better known for their amazing variety of novelty ice creams and ice lollies - weird names & lurid packaging.

Bearhunter

TheScribbler wrote: »

Uch, yes indeed Phoenix Ale. It had that lovely logo too. Letts Brewery in Waterford also produced Killians Red Beer (ale). It closed many years ago but is brewed now in the US as a red lagar for the US market.

Letts was in Enniscorthy in Wexford, not Waterford. They also did minerals, but their market share was gobbled up by town rival Donohoe's. Actually, there's a brand that's long gone - Donohoe's Big Brother and little sister range of minerals. Mmm, nostalgia...

crosstownk

Irish Shipping. It was brand in it's own right.

powerfarmer

TheScribbler wrote: »

I also remember Valley but I seem to recall they were perhaps better known for their amazing variety of novelty ice creams and ice lollies - weird names & lurid packaging.

Production at Valley ceased around 1998 (their factory was in Thurles) But there was an attempt to restart production around 2000/2001, it never happened and I worked on dismantling the plant shortly after.

As for brands that are now gone:
Three Counties cheese , Buttercup spread,Royal Tara Cream Liquor, Top Table cheese and Ham escalopes.

TheScribbler

Powerfarmer, as I suggested in another thread you know your ice creams but I suspect you are very well versed in the history of many dairy products

Firetrap

I remember the Valley ice-cream - it was yuck and tasted really cheap and nasty. There was a Silver Pail dairies brand as well but I don't know if they still exist.

Another brand that's disappeared is Dew Lemonade which was made in Tullamore I think.

TheScribbler

The Killians Red brand (formerly Letts Ale) is now heavily marketed in America by Coors as an 'Irish Lager' (heaven preserve us). They originally brewed it as an ale but it didn't take off. Today they use George Letts, a member of the Letts family to present their advertising to give the feel authenticity of 'ould' Ireland:

http://www.georgekillians.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbeBzrCsuhg&NR=1
http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/10/118/KILLIAN27SIRISHREDPREMIUMLAGER/89716

newman10

Switzers on Grafton St.

Great memories of seeing the Christmas Windows in the dour 80's :D:D

TheScribbler

Newman your memory is one that is shared by a lot of people. The idea of theming Christmas window displays with spectacular displays was originally pioneered in America by Macys of New York, who also developed the whole modern myth of the red suited Santa Clause and his reindeers that we have applied down the years. In fact the idea of a red suit, as opposed to the traditional European St Nicholas being depicted in green or brown in Victorian times, was initiated by Coca Cola who sponsored Macys windows. Red was Coke's house colours.

Anyway I digress. The concept of breathtaking displays was first introduced to Ireland by Brown Thomas. Under the management of John McGuire in the 1930s, they appointed the young Irish artist Norah McGuinness to develop stylish window displays that reflected the passing seasons. The first such display quite literally stoppeed the traffic in Grafton Street. Switzers quickly followed suit.

Such dramatic displays are less used today as it is an expensive and time consuming job, and many of the department stores Christmas displays pale into significance compared to those of the past. Today the tradition is still carried out by Macys (under new ownership) in America, but is also very evident in London's top department stores like Harrods and Selfriges.

L1011

mental07 wrote: »

Leaf......they were based in Leixlip and made chewing gum/sweets of some description?

Kilcock. Became Zed Candy and I think they've fecked off somewhere else at this stage. Made Chewits at one stage anyway, remember the free Chewits being taken off some UK magazines here during the BSE crisis cause they had gelatin in them - despite being made in Ireland!

carchaeologist

Why the sad face TheScribbler?
Sad for modern ireland or sad for old ireland?

TheScribbler

Actually I didn't think it was sad at all. I thought it was more contemplative. Anyway I rather like the colour. I will look for a suitable avatar instead - watch this space!

flanree

Was the soft drinks company Dwan's Irish? And I seem to remember a Phoenix Cycles?

Firetrap

I think they were. Was Pak orange Irish?

TheScribbler

I thought they were American!

DundalkDuffman

Cairns beer from Drogheda

TheScribbler

I must admit I can't recall Cairns Beer but then Ireland used to have many local regional beer brands. I certainly remember McArdles. It is good to see the slow emergence of the boutique beers by private suppliers and many of these may well become future brands

mikedublin

Some of the brand names I remember that are now gone include ; The Evening Press newspaper, Dan Air (who weren't actually Irish but used to fly from Dublin to London), Those City Imp buses , and all the pirate radio stations : Radio Nova, Sunshine, Energy 103. Everything in Dunnes Stores used to be branded St.Bernard, and there are some things that have changed their names ; RTE Relays became Cablelink became NTL, and Eircell became Vodafone, E-sat Digifone became 02.

ScouseMouse

phill106 wrote: »

have another cup of coffee, its bRands not bands
waterford crystal anyone?

A lot of Waterford Crystal is made in Poland !

lord lucan

Roches Stores was a sad departure from the Irish shopping scene,swallowed up by Debenhams. It's sad that Henry st and Grafton st. look the same as any British High st. now. My memories of Henry st./Mary st. in the 80's/90's were of streets full of diverse business',many were unique and not part of any chain.

orourkeda

The Green Party

The Progressive Democrats

Stephen Ireland.

Andy Reid

TheScribbler

Lord Lucan, your point is well made. The change in retail ownership has been huge over the last decade. Speaking personally I am sad to see local retailers disappear as they always gave individual towns so much character. But we are living in a global world now!