Mayo school launching heritage booklet on town's old factories

HOLY Trinity National School is launching a new heritage booklet entitled Old Factories of Westport on Wednesday, June 3, at 12.30 p.m. in the Town Hall, Westport. The booklet will be officially launched by special guest Liamy MacNally.

Holy Trinity is Westport’s oldest national school, still occupying their 200 year-old building on the Newport Road. The child-centred school has a tradition of engaging pupils in intriguing projects to stimulate their minds and challenge their curiosity.

The publication is the result of a fascinating local history project undertaken by the children of the Senior Room as part of the Heritage Keepers programme with Burrenbeo Trust.

Having completed the Heritage Keepers classroom programme, the children were intrigued by the large number of factories that once operated in Westport town. Surprised by the quantity and variety of manufacturing industries that existed locally in years gone by, they set out to investigate what was produced, who worked in the factories, the different jobs people carried out and what daily life was like for workers at the time.

Through interviews, old advertisements, newspaper archives, online research, artefacts, and books, the pupils uncovered a wealth of information about the town’s industrial past. Along the way, many children even discovered personal family connections to the factories they researched.

The booklet brings together some of the pupils’ discoveries and highlights the rich industrial heritage of Westport. Factories featured include The Irish Sewing Cotton Company Factory, The Clog Factory, The Reliable Shoe Company Ltd., and The Popular Cap Company.

The school invites members of the public, local historians, past factory workers and their families to attend the launch and celebrate this wonderful community heritage project.