Urney Chocolates facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Fate | Original factory closed 1980, brand sold on |
| Successor | Hazelbrook Confectionery (after L.C. Confectionery) |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Headquarters | Urney, County Tyrone and Tallaght, Dublin (presently County Kildare) |
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Key people
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Eileen Gallagher Harry Gallagher Redmond Gallagher |
Urney Chocolates was a famous company that made sweets and chocolates. It was started by the Gallagher family in County Tyrone, Ireland. At one point, it had one of the biggest chocolate factories in Europe! The company was sold a few times, and its last factory closed in 1980. Today, the Urney brand is managed by Hazelbrook Confectionery in County Kildare, Ireland.
Contents
The Story of Urney Chocolates
How Urney Chocolates Started
Urney Chocolates began in 1919. It was founded by Eileen Gallagher and her husband, Harry Gallagher. They started making sweets at their home, Urney House, in Urney, County Tyrone. Eileen Gallagher wanted to create jobs in her area. She hoped this would help people stay instead of moving away. She first tried growing flowers and fruit. When she couldn't get sugar for a jam business, she was offered sugar for making sweets instead. So, the chocolate business started right in their backyard!
In the 1920s, Urney Chocolates was the only company making chocolate in Ireland. They used many supplies from Ireland. Because of this, they were very popular in what is now the Republic of Ireland. However, their chocolates were not as popular in Northern Ireland. Once, a delivery of Urney chocolates was sent back to the factory.
Moving to a New Factory
The first Urney Chocolates factory caught fire in 1921. It completely burned down in 1924. Because of this, the Gallagher family moved their chocolate making to Tallaght, Dublin. By the 1960s, Urney Chocolates and its other businesses employed nearly 1,000 people. The factory in Tallaght was considered one of the largest chocolate factories in all of Europe!
Changes Over Time
Redmond Gallagher, Eileen and Harry's son, became the head of the company in 1958. In 1963, a company from New York called W & R Grace bought Urney's. Then, in 1970, they sold it to Unilever, a very large company. Unilever soon changed the name to HB Chocolates. They stopped making chocolates in 1980. The old factory building later became a store for home improvement.
Today, the Urney brand is run by L.C. Confectionery Ltd. They have a factory in Newbridge, County Kildare. They also have a shop for their Hadji Bey sweets in the English Market in Cork city.
Popular Urney Chocolates
Urney Chocolates made several well-known products:
- Catch bar
- Urney Anytime Assortment (they used to say "any time is Urney time" in ads!)
- Urney Two and Two
- Hadji Bey's Turkish Delight
