IN 1993, the RTÉ 1 television programme Today Tonight came to town. The reason was the shock announcement that Lapple was about to carry out a major downsizing of its business.
The town was still suffering from the shock news of the job losses, but it could take some comfort from the fact that another German-owned company, Braun, which was located directly across the road, was still going strong. In fact, there appeared to be no end to that company’s success. It had just completed a new extension programme and the place was bursting at the seams, with employment figures in excess of 1,500.
But how all that has now changed. Not alone did Lapple let go a major chunk of its workforce back then, but even though it did rally somewhat a few years later it eventually went the way of many other auto industry-related firms, and finally closed the plant entirely a couple of years ago.
In the meantime, the fortunes of Braun also took a turn for the worse - a few turns, in fact - and have never regained the employment heights it once had. In fact, the opposite has become the case. In August, the slow wake will become a full-blown funeral and Braun will also close.
A couple of weeks ago, another 30 workers at the plant were finally let go, just as the summer holiday season was starting for those lucky enough to still have a job. The informal party held in the plant’s canteen or another held in Reddy’s was a far cry from the parties once held around town when Braun shut down for its annual summer holidays.
From the Thursday of that week, the town went into holiday mode, with local restaurants and pubs hiring in extra staff to cater for the upturn in business before a two-week lull when hundreds of people went overseas to Spain, Portugal or even further afield.
Thanks to Braun and Lapple, the town had good sustainable employment alongside such reliables as the Sugar Factory, Corcoran’s, Thompsons, Irish Maltings and so on.
But even with all of that, there was a period when Carlow was considered an economic black spot, with the numbers signing on the live register far exceeding towns of a similar size.
Last week, we were all taken aback with the news that the recession was finally over. Instead of everyone letting out a few loud hurrays, we all stopped and looked in wonder at each other.
Surely to God, the government in its wisdom must see that towns like Carlow, which has continued to shed jobs and can no longer call upon such firms as Braun or Lapple to take up the slack, are dying on their feet.
Once upon a time this town was famous for the variety of industry it offered. During the Celtic Tiger, industry became a casualty of the house-building boom and the appearance of several shopping centres. For a time, that was OK because people were still employed in the construction industry and, with money in their pockets, there was a wide variety of shopping outlets offering everything from a needle to an anchor for sale.
But from the middle of 2007, everything has slowly ground to a halt. With no more building boom, there is no more money and with no money comes less spending, which equals fewer jobs in the retail sector.
Last week, if you asked anyone previously employed by Braun, Lapple, Thompsons or the Sugar Factory if they believed the recession was over, I bet they would all agree that it was not - even if stag hunting and other ‘rural pursuits’ had been thrown into the mix for a couple of days in order to offer some light relief to the rest of us.