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From the days when a local Dunmore Man was given a local Dunmore job. Here is a picture

of the Men who built the modern Dunmore Harbour . .

These are the Men of Dunmore and the surrounding area. These are the Men of the Board of

Works who transformed the old Dunmore Harbour into the fine modern facility that stands

there today. Over a period of 10 years or more, they chiselled, and blasted, and moved

thousands of tonne's of earth with pics and shovels and cranes and trucks to create and

develop the present day harbour at Dunmore.

The Board of Works completed this momentous task with the use of local labour. It will be

interesting to see just how many local jobs will be created when the next development of

Dunmore Harbour commences.

What is both beautiful and sad about this picture and this story, is that most of those in the

photo have now passed on. There is no mention of their hard work, and no monument sitting

on Dunmore pier, dedicated to their years of effort.

Within the next few years another development will take place at Dunmore and the memories

of these Men and what they acheived will be lost in time.

I can remember as a school child sitting in the Convent School looking out the window on a

terrible winters day with the rain lashing, and wind howling and watching my Father and Blue

McCarthy wrestling with a wagon drill on top of Shanoon.

There was no wet time or good conditions in those days. Both Men were soaking wet and

freezing cold as were all the other drillers on Shannoon on that particular day

This group shot was taken at the Board of Works annual Dinner Dance held at the Ocean

Hotel in the late sixties.

Ringo Regan

The Board of Works

Back row, left to right: No.1 = Johnny Butler (Diver). No 3 = John Bulligan. No 4 = Tony Ayton.

No 5 = Buddy Fancy. No 6 = Kieran Crossan. No 7 = Tom Ryan. No 8 = Val Murphy. No 9 =

Paddy O'Regan. No 10 = Willie Dunne. No 11 = Charlie Woods (Fitter on loan from Donegal).

No 12 = Willie (Blue) McCarthy. No 13= George Dewberry Senior. No 14 = Paddy O'Connor.

No 15 = Brendan McGrath. No 16 ( sitting ) ???.

Middle row, left to right: No 1 = Mrs. Mansfield. No 2 = ???. No 3 = Mick Mansfield. No 4 = Mick

Walsh. No 5 (hiding behind Mick Walsh ) ???. No 6 = Nicki Flynn. No 7 = Tony Townley RIP. No

8 = We think he is one of the Murphy's from Ballymacaw. No 9 = Tony Drohan. No 10 = Charlie

Harte. No 11 = Willie O' Sullivan. No 12 = Mossie McGrath. No 13 = Patsy (Fancy) Power. No

14 = Margaret Cullinane. No 15 = Neddy (Speddis) Cullinane. No 16 = Paddy Ayton. No 17 =

??? (She was with Johnny Butler). No 18 = Mrs. Felix Rooney. No 19 = Hughie Gilmartin

(Foreman). No 20 = Felix Rooney (Foreman). No 21 = ??? (She was with Brendan McGrath).

No 22 = ---- Clancy (from OPW Office Waterford). No 23 = Mary Lawlor.

Front row: No 1 = ???. No 2 = Mrs Tommy Ivory. No 3 = Margaret Walsh. No 4 = Tommy (Tack)

Ivory. No 5 = Josie Dalton. No 6 = Tack Ivory's daughter. No 7 (hiding behind 6) ???. No 8 =

Married to Tack Ivory's daughter (think his name is ---- Smeltzer). No 9 = Mary Griffin (Willie

O'Sullivan's wife). No 10 = Peggy McGrath. No 11 = Mrs Murphy. No 12 (hiding behind Mrs

Murphy) = Nellie Bulligan, John Bulligan's wife. No 13 = Mrs. Tony Drohan. No 14 = Nellie

Bowe (Willie Dunne's wife). No 15 = Mrs. Kevin Byrnes. No 16 = Patsy Townley (Tony's wife)

Paddy O'Connor has cleverly merged our original picture with another one that includes 4

more people on the right-hand side..

Middle Row: 1 = Tommy Murphy. 2 = John Healy. 3 = Paddy (Billy) Power (Lifeboat Cox).

Front row: 4 = Kevin Byrnes (from Fenor)

Board of Works Dinner Dance in the Strand Hotel in 1967