Brenda -- (See reply to your query below). Wooden sailing ships were built at various locations around the coast of Ireland before 1800. The occupation returns of the 1841 census indicate that, although Belfast was by far the most important shipbuilding centre in employment terms, the industry remained relatively rural based and widely dispersed. In the second half of the century, the more capital-intensive production techniques required for the construction of iron- and steel-hulled ships led to larger units of production, and external economies led to regional concentration. By the late 19th century most UK mercantile tonnage was launched on the Clyde, on the NE coast of England, and on the Lagan. The industry in Ireland was concentrated in Belfast, dominated by the two shipbuilding giants of HARLAND & WOLFF and WORKMAN, CLARK & Company. In the years 1906-14 they produced between them 10% of UK output and 6% of world output. Most ports retained the capacity to construct traditional small vessels such as brigantines, schooners, and smacks. Construction of larger vessels over 200 gross tons was confined to a few locations other than Belfast. In the first half of the 19th century Cork was an important shipbuilding centre. The Cork firm of Andrew & Michael HENNESSY built the first steamship in Ireland in 1815, and Robert J. LECKY & Company launched an iron-hulled vessel in 1845. However, the industry in Cork went into decline from the mid-1860s. In the mid-century Waterford firms such as POPE & Co., Albert WHITE & Co., and Charles SMITH established a high reputation for construction of sailing vessels. Iron steamships of up to 2,000 tons were constructed by the Neptune Iron Works in Waterford between 1847 and 1880. There was little shipbuilding in Dublin in the 19th century. The firm of WALPOLE & WEBB built iron ships in the 1860s; subsequently BEWLEY, WEBB & Company undertook repair work. No large vessels were constructed in Derry between 1846 and the foundation of the Foyle Shipyard in 1882; it went out of business in 1892. In the 20th century, the Dublin Dockyard Company revived shipbuilding in the city in 1901, the Londonderry Shipbuilding & Engineering Company had a brief existence between 1899 and 1904; on the same site in 1912 the North of Ireland Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd. was set up . With the downturn in demand after the First World War, shipbuilding operations in Dublin and Derry ceased in the early 1920s and the two Belfast firms encountered financial difficulties; WORKMAN CLARK ceased operations in 1935. HARLAND & WOLFF survived the hard inter-war years and continued to be a major European shipbuilder. Sir George Smith CLARK (1861-1935), Belfast shipbuilder. Apprenticed at HARLAND & WOLFF, in 1880 CLARK entered into a partnership with Francis WORKMAN to form Workman Clark & Company. In 1917 CLARK received a baronetcy for his wartime services to the shipbuilding industry. In 1920 he resigned from the board of directors, apparently to protest at the financial dealings which were to lead to the company's temporary liquidation seven years later. Drawn into politics by the issue of home rule, CLARK was a committed Unionist. From 1907 to 1910 he was MP for North Belfast. (MP apparently Member of Parliament). As stated, Workman Clark & Company, the Belfast shipbuilding company, was formed in 1880 by George CLARK and Francis WORKMAN (1856-1927). WORKMAN had established a small shipyard on the Lagan three years earlier. Workman Clark & Company pioneered the development of the Charles PARSONS turbine engine and the construction of insulted and refrigerated fruit-carrying vessels. It specialized in medium-sized cargo boats and combined cargo and passenger vessels. Between 1905 and 1913 inclusive, annual tonnage launched placed Workman Clark among the top five UK shipbuilding firms on four occasions. The 1920s provided a difficult decade for the shipbuilding industry. Workman Clark also encountered financial problems arising from the takeover in 1920 by the Northumberland Shipping Company. In 1927 a legal issue was settled out of court, and the company was forced into temporary liquidation. Workman Clark was revived in 1928 as Workman Clark (1928) Ltd., but did not survive the world depression which began in 1929. It launched its last vessel in 1934. In 1935 Workman Clark was acquired by the National Shipbuilders Security Ltd.; its yards on the south bank of the Lagan were taken over by HARLAND & WOLFF and those on the north bank were closed. Further reading: E. B. ANDERSON, "Sailing Ships of Ireland" (1951). WORKMAN CLARK (1928) Ltd., "Shipbuilding at Belfast 1880-1933" (?date) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brenda Clark" <famtracr@bellsouth.net> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 4:11 PM Subject: Re: [IRELAND] Ulster Folk & Transport Museum - Special events 2006/"Irish Museum of the Year" > (The largest engineering industry in Ulster was shipbuilding, principally the ship yards of HARLAND & WOLFF and WORKMAN (&) CLARK, both in Belfast. ) > > Does anyone have a short history of the Workman & Clark business? I am especially interested in the Clark name since one of my ancestors was in the import/export shipping business and came from the Belfast area.. My family left Ireland just before 1800 but continued with the business from the US. Any help appreciated. > > Brenda > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jean R. > To: IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 4:43 PM > Subject: [IRELAND] Ulster Folk & Transport Museum - Special events 2006/"Irish Museum of the Year" > > > SNIPPET: The award-winning Ulster Folk & Transport Museum is one of Ireland's foremost visitor attractions <snip>