Eileen Gallagher facts for kids

Eileen Gallagher (born Helen Mary Cullen; 1887 – 1976) was an amazing Irish businesswoman. She started a famous chocolate company called Urney Chocolates with her husband, Harry Gallagher. People believe she was the first woman in Ireland to work as a traveling sales representative. This means she was one of the first women to travel around selling products for a company!

Growing Up in Ireland

Eileen Gallagher was born Helen Mary Cullen on September 9, 1887. Her family lived in a place called Rosbercon in County Wexford, Ireland. She was the youngest of 16 children! Her family was quite wealthy at first. However, her father spent a lot of their money. Because of this, her family moved to a smaller home in Dublin. Her mother became a seamstress to help support the family.

In 1906, Eileen married Henry Gallagher. They moved to Dunwiley House in Stranorlar, County Donegal. They had three children: Edward, Helen, and Redmond. Edward became a surgeon. Helen became a children's author. Redmond was a businessman and loved motor-racing.

Starting a Business: From Snowdrops to Chocolate

In 1918, the Gallaghers bought a large house with five acres of land in Urney. Eileen wanted to help people find jobs because many were leaving the area. She decided to start a market garden.

Her first idea was to gather snowdrops and ivy leaves. She exported these flowers to London. This grew into a fruit farm. They sold fresh fruit or bottled it.

Making Chocolate from Scratch

During this time, it was hard to get enough sugar. Eileen wanted to make jam, but she couldn't get enough sugar for it. So, in 1919, she asked the government for a special sugar permit. They said no to jam, but offered her sugar to make chocolate!

Eileen had never made sweets before. But she accepted the challenge. She started experimenting in her kitchen and found success!

In 1920, the Gallaghers went to a big exhibition in Glasgow. They learned about chocolate-making machines. They bought equipment for their own small chocolate factory. They decided to make assorted chocolates using a special Dutch method called couverture. They even hired an expert from the Netherlands to train their employees. Soon, their company became official as Urney Chocolates Ltd. By 1924, they had 40 employees!

A Pioneer in Sales

Eileen Gallagher was the first person to travel around selling for her company. She is thought to be the first woman in Ireland to do this job! At first, other male sales representatives were not friendly to her. But she eventually won many of them over. She built strong relationships with shopkeepers all over Ireland. This helped their company get many loyal customers.

Traveling in Ireland was very dangerous during the Anglo-Irish War (1919-1921) and the Civil War (1922-1923). Eileen needed two special passes to travel. One pass was for checkpoints set up by the Free State army. The other was for checkpoints set up by the Republican forces. Once, a bridge was destroyed, and she had to walk across a river. She even got a ride into town on a cart used for manure! She faced many difficult and dangerous situations.

Moving the Factory

Urney Chocolates was the only chocolate maker in Ireland. But because of its Irish identity, it wasn't popular in what became Northern Ireland. When Ireland was divided, the new border was right at the end of their garden! This new border made things very difficult for their business. There were new customs rules and problems with transport.

The Urney factory also caught fire twice, once in 1921 and again in 1924. In 1924, the Irish Free State put taxes on imported sweets. So, the Gallaghers decided to use their insurance money to move the factory further south into the Irish Free State.

At first, no Irish banks would lend them money. They even thought about moving to Canada! But before they left, Harry Gallagher talked to W. T. Cosgrave, who was the head of the Irish government. Cosgrave wanted to help Irish businesses. He arranged a loan and a place for them to use: an old British airfield in Tallaght, County Dublin. The Gallaghers later bought this land. After the factory moved, Eileen's husband mostly managed the business, but she stayed involved.

Later Life and New Ventures

Eileen Gallagher continued to be active on the farm and gardens at Urney House. She started a poultry farm and grew pears.

In 1950, she brought a new type of turkey to Ireland called the White Holland turkey. She cleverly smuggled some fertilized eggs through customs after returning from the United States. These turkeys became very popular for Christmas dinners. At its busiest in the mid-1950s, her farm produced 3,000 turkeys a year!

Eileen Gallagher passed away at Urney House on October 8, 1976. She was buried with her husband in Tallaght.