Appleyard motors close it's doors after 27 years in business.

South Dublin Ford is closed, here's a link.

Can't find anything on the internet about Appleyard though.

Edit: It seems South Dublin Ford is now reopened as Rathfarnham Ford

When South Dublin Ford closed they had huge debts, I'd assume (I'm open to correction) that like a lot of car dealers, they spent a large amount of money on Showrooms during the boom. Combine that with a lower turnover, and owing tax to the revenue and you have a recipe for disaster. Also, ford seem to have been one of the larger creditors, so maybe they had too much stock, as well as being unable to make payments on credit.

Edit: It's a very difficult climate to operate a business in at the moment, trying to reduce your costs can be a very difficult thing to do. So I hope this doesn't sound like I'm criticising anyone, unfortunately it was keeping up with the jones during the boom and some businesses are now paying the price.