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Thursday, June 03, 2010
Germany has deep rooted Kerry links
DURING a visit to Kerry, the other day, the German ambassador, Busso Von Alvensleben, touched on something that’s not always underlined as much as it ought to be – the industrial connection between Kerry and Germany.
With such an emphasis on tourism nowadays, the focus is on attracting German tourists, with the Kerry/ Frankfurt air service being a big help.
However, some of the oldest manufacturing industries in Kerry originated in Germany and date back to the 1950s and ‘60s.
Liebherr has been producing cranes in Killarney for more than 50 years, while people such as Henry Weber, who came to Listowel with Jowika in the 1960s, Karl Steinmetz and Gus Schwarz, to name just a handful, have all made their mark on the county.
German nationals that came here with various companies have integrated well and have become a valued part of life here.
Surely, in these depressed times for employment, we should be looking to strengthen the German connection and work with German industrialists long established here to attract more investment from their homeland.
German companies have made an inestimable contribution to the economic life of Kerry.
They are mainly in engineering and related fields and have been providing well paid, skilled jobs for at least half a century. Liebherr is, undoubtedly, the biggest and most successful of them all and the ambassador spoke glowingly about the Liebherr family’s connection with Killarney, describing it as "deeprooted".
And, while the company had an obvious economic interest in Kerry, he said the Liebherr family also had strong emotional ties to the area.
With the Europe, Dunloe Castle and Ard na Sidhe hotels also in its portfolio, Liebherr is clearly in Kerry for the long haul.
Following a multi-million euro investment, Hotel Europe has been developed into a world-class hotel, according to the ambassador.
Pity is that more companies of that calibre are not being attracted to Kerry.
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