When the company was founded in 1934 Newbridge town was, like most of the country, trying to find its feet in the new reality of post-independence Ireland. Cut off from many centuries of being a Garrison town, Newbridge now struggled. The local shops, factories and craftspeople that supplied and maintained the armies that fought from the Crimea to India were now struggling to fill that void. Poverty was rife, and the old skills of Blacksmith, farrier and saddle maker were fading. That deep heritage was still there though, waiting to be coaxed back to life by someone with a vision of what could be and not what was.

Speaking of heritage, the craftspeople that are central to the Newbridge Silverware family today have continued an art form that stretches back through recorded history to the banks of the Liffey in Newbridge, where it is recorded in the Annals of the four masters that; (“It was by Tigearnmas first established in Ireland the art of dying cloth of purple and other colours and the ornamenting of drinking cups, and goblets, and breast pins for mantles of gold and silver and procured his goldsmith named Ugden, who dwelt near the Liffey to make Gold and Silver pennies”).

Bill Gamble and Joe Kearns in the Plating Shop at Newbridge Silverware in 1935

Newbridge itself sits on the Curragh plains, in the heart of Ireland’s ancient east. The town is sheltered by the river Liffey and the ancient Hill of Allen, where the great warrior and touchstone of Irish heritage and history, Cuchullaun, sallied forth to smite his enemies.

Perhaps then it is fitting that the Normans, and their successors the British Empire, used the Curragh plains to train armies that would wage war over the entire globe. The modern town itself sprang from the presence of the British army, as did the skills that Newbridge Silverware would harness and hone over many years.

Vision is a constant theme in the life of Newbridge Silverware, and among the first people to see what could be, was Senator Cummins, a local school teacher, the leader of the Labour party William Norton, and Joe McGrath Snr who was involved in negotiating Irish independence with the British state.

They had a unique vision for an enterprise that would go on to become an Irish success story in a time of stagnation and retrenchment. Newbridge Cutlery would look to the future and carry the past skills of the town into a new era.

The fledgling business would be set up in the now unused Military barracks in the town, with the help of the Free State and local business people, funds would be raised and the necessary skills and knowledge would be brought over from Sheffield, England. Among the people from Sheffield was a man by the name of Mr JW Haigh who would become the first managing director of the company.

Newbridge Cutlery began crafting cutlery and tableware products and by 1939 the company was making major inroads and had taken a majority share of the Irish market.

Speaking of heritage, the craftspeople that are central to the Newbridge Silverware family today have continued an art form that stretches back through recorded history to the banks of the Liffey in Newbridge, where it is recorded in the Annals of the four masters that; (“It was by Tigearnmas first established in Ireland the art of dying cloth of purple and other colours and the ornamenting of drinking cups, and goblets, and breast pins for mantles of gold and silver and procured his goldsmith named Ugden, who dwelt near the Liffey to make Gold and Silver pennies”).

This greatly pleased the government who were keen to see home grown companies thrive and prosper and reduce reliance on imports. Over the many decades to come the company would endure many challenges but always rise to meet them head on.

The first of these major challenges came in the way of the second World War, when metal and steel in particular was extremely hard to come by and impossible to import. The company even used the old Dublin tram lines to keep in operation. A major fire and wartime restrictions could not stop Newbridge Cutlery and in testament to the resilience of the company it even grew in this period.

The company purchased a share in Sandersons, a factory in Newbridge that specialised in steel work. Profits increased, and the workforce had increased to 600 by August 1948. The company used its increased capital wisely and purchased a new cutlery factory in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford and other major investments throughout Ireland and the UK.

By the 1950s Ireland was still an economy in full protection mode, and consequently, entrepreneurship and indeed the whole economy was struggling. Newbridge Cutlery still held on to a vision of a company that would innovate and not just react to market trends. To forge ahead and predict trends was always a hallmark, and the company began to develop into holloware. Coffee and tea sets, sugar bowls, pots and kettles, water jugs and platters to compliment an already excellent cutlery range would provide a boost to the company. These items would go on display in St Stephens Green, Dublin and give a glimpse of the future where the company would become a brand leader in advertising throughout Europe.

However, a major challenge was waiting on the horizon for the company, Ireland would begin preparations to join the single market and the step by step history of both Ireland and Newbridge cutlery would change radically.

The scene is set for a challenging period for Newbridge Cutlery as protective tariffs begin to be dismantled in preparation for Ireland’s joining of the European Economic Community. Newbridge Cutlery is floated on the stock exchange.

The first of January 1973 marked a very tough time for the company, Ireland was now a fully fledged member of the EEC. All protections and tariffs were now removed and Newbridge would have to compete on a Europe wide basis. Facing unprecedented competition, the company stays afloat, but is bought out by Harcourt Irish Holding and faces an uncertain future. However a group of local businessmen rallied around current MD Donal O’Rourke and purchased the company. One of those men was Dominic Doyle, a true visionary who would guide the company back to the summit.

Dominic was an already successful businessman who had sold his pork processing business and invested his profits in purchasing a stake in Newbridge Cutlery. The new board of directors would include Dominic Doyle, JH Hayes, Joe McLoughlin, Alan Rountree and Richard White.

Dominic was from the very start involved at the coalface of the business, never content to sit back he took on the role of production manager and learned the business from the ground up.

Within three years Dominic had remortgaged his house and bought out his partners, and the stage would be set for a dramatic turnaround in the struggling companies fortunes. Dominic had a clear vision of the future of the company however in order to arrive there he had to first set about the difficult process of rationalising both the company and its work practices.

He wanted to reposition the company as a high end, competitive entity, that would shed outdated work practices and reposition as a heritage brand in keeping with the best traditions of Irish craft work, design, and quality.

Dominic had a very focused vision for the company, he shed non performing lines and tight margin product, focusing on formal dinnerware amongst other high end brands. He had a zeal for advertising and understood any high end product must embrace the power of modern media. The company now started to make inroads into the UK market and secured many lucrative contracts in the hotel and retail sector.