Italian motor giant Fiat has had a presence in Ireland for over 70 years, at first through an importer and then through a wholly owned subsidiary, Fiat Auto Ireland. In the 60s and 70s, decades when the large car assembly plants located around Dublin employed thousands of workers directly and indirectly, Fiat was one of the biggest.
The company operated an assembly plant in Chapelizod before expanding and moving to Ballyfermot, where Fiat 127s and 128s were produced. Sales and administration offices also moved to the Kylemore Road and there was a company owned workshop and paint-shop in Grand Canal Street. It’s hard to know exactly how many people in total worked for Fiat over the years, but the figure of 600 is probably conservative
Now, current and former staff members of Fiat Ireland are together organising a very special reunion for everyone who worked with the company since it was set up in Ireland over 50 years ago.
Staff member Sharon Kavanagh suggested the idea some months ago. Discussions with current and former employees, in Ireland and abroad, proved that there was great interest in the event.
‘We are delighted by the very positive response’, said Ms. Kavanagh. ‘Our first target was for about 100 people but we are now expect between 150 -200 people. It will be a memorable event, spanning many generations’, she added.
The date and venue for the reunion are Saturday May 15th in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel. Tickets will cost €35, that price will include dinner. Full details are available on a special website, www.fiatstaffreunion.com.
People with no access to the Internet can call either Sharon Kavanagh on 01 4034433 or Joe Gantly on 087 4158809.