'On his way out he asked if his job would be there when he came out. I told him to contact me whenever he was free but he never came back '

'On his way out he asked if his job would be there when he came out. I told him to contact me whenever he was free but he never came back '

Harry Browne remembers working as a production manager for a door production company. He recalls an incident in which one of the factory operatives left the job as he was going to prison.

Harry Browne

Trinity College Dublin

1980

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Harry Browne

Work and Employment

Life Story

Dublin

1980's

Following the closure of Browne Brothers in 1986 a former employer, Fred Trenaman, called me and asked if I would help to establish a manufacturing operation making kit form aluminium doors. I happily accepted and started within a week. I worked for Fred in a variety of positions for almost twenty years, the longest period of continuous employment of my life. I worked as Production Manager, Technical Support Manager, design Team Manager and Training Manager. These were busy and fulfilling times for me. During my period with Kitform I met with customers all over the country and with suppliers from Britain, Germany, France and other countries. I travelled to several European countries and made many friends on my travels. In my capacity of production manager of Kitform I employed a reasonably large number of young people as operatives in the factory. I sourced these employees through FAS in Ballyfermot and there was a wide variation in their skill levels and their application to the tasks which I set them. One day one of these lads came to me and said: 'I won't be in on Monday Harry'. Needless to state I asked why not, he replied 'because I'm goin' inside'. Foolish me I asked 'inside where?' 'Uh into jail, like'. 'For what?' 'I kinda set fire to a supermarket'. Frantic with curiosity I asked why he had set fire to the supermarket. 'Well' he said ' there's this supermarket in Ballyfermot called Costbusters, and it has a sign outside like the Ghostbusters logo from the movie like'. 'All the guys in Ballyer like to burn the sign, so I set it on fire but the whole shop burned down'. On his way out he asked if his job would be there when he came out. I told him to contact me whenever he was free but he never came back. I met him some years later and he was deep into drugs and crime. I have often wondered since what his life might be like if the probation act had been applied in his case.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)