The De Loughry foundry’s lasting legacy in Kilkenny

History can be found right beneath our feet and that’s certainly the case here in Kilkenny.

On Parliament Street and Patrick Street, you might even have trampled over significant pieces of history many times.

Located on both streets are manhole covers, but no ordinary run-of-the-mill manhole cover.

These manhole covers were made by the De Loughry family, who ran a foundry in Kilkenny for decades that reached peak production in the early 1900s.

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An advertisement for the foundry from the period read as follows: “R. De Loughry and Sons of Parliament Street and New Building Lane. Casting in iron, brass etc of every description made to order. Plough parts a speciality. Also builders, contractors, millers etc will find it to their advantage to consult us when requiring castings of any kind.”

One of the most famous people in Kilkenny during these years was Peter de Loughry, a committed Irish nationalist and former Mayor of Kilkenny.

Peter is documented as having used the foundry and his skills to produce munitions for the nationalist cause.

Most famously, whilst in prison in Lincoln Gaol, Peter De Loughry was able to use his metalworking skills gained from the foundry to forge a master key that was used in the successful escape of inmates including Éamon de Valera in 1919.

This happened after Peter organised for a blank key (possibly produced in the Kilkenny foundry) and a file to be smuggled into gaol in a birthday cake.

At the time, the jail break was considered to be a major political and military coup for the nationalists against the British.

Peter’s relative, Jack De Loughry, speaking to the Kilkenny People in recent days, described just how important the foundry was.

“My great-grandfather (Richard De Loughry) would’ve set up the foundry and my grandfather (John De Loughry) would’ve taken over the foundry in 1894,” John explained.

“John unfortunately died before his time in 1907 after getting wet and contracting pneumonia after playing a hurling match. When he died, Peter took over the foundry.

“There were a good few people employed there at the time when it was successful.”

Jack remembers the foundry still operating in the late 1950s and early 60s, before it was eventually wound down.

“It was a well-known and respected business,” he said.

“It was close to closing at the start of the twentieth century but the arrival of the motor industry was a major factor in keeping it going.”

The foundry, throughout its lifetime, was a specialist location for the manufacturing of quality casts and agricultural products, and one of those trademark products was the hand plough.

One of the many ploughs made in the foundry was recently acquired by agricultural collector William Murphy, from Bagenalstown, who displayed it at this year’s Kilkenny Motor Show.

William was delighted to meet members of the De Loughry family at the event, and took a photo alongside them and the plough.

The fact that the plough is still in such fine condition is testament to its quality of construction and the craftsmanship at the De Loughry foundry.

That quality is also evident in the De Loughry manhole covers many have perhaps unknowingly stepped on as they tread through our historic city.

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