Irish Steel
Irish steel producer (closed 2001) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irish Steel Limited (Irish: Cruach na hÉireann Teoranta),[1] later known as Irish Ispat Limited, was an Irish semi-state company which was involved in steel production primarily from a plant on Haulbowline island in Cork Harbour. Originally founded in 1939, the company and its assets were sold to Ispat International (for IR£1) in 1996. The company and its plant closed down in 2001.
Irish Steel | |
Native name | Cruach na hÉireann Teoranta[1] |
Company type | Semi-state company |
Industry | Steel production |
Founded | 1939; 85 years ago (1939) |
Defunct | 2001; 23 years ago (2001) |
Successor | Irish Ispat |
Headquarters | Haulbowline, Cork Harbour, Ireland |
Products | |
Owners |
|
Number of employees | 450[2] (2001) |
Dumping of production materials, including toxic waste, resulted in significant contamination of the Irish Steel plant site, and increased the size of Haulbowline island by 9 hectares (22 acres). Campaigners, including Erin Brockovich, pushed for action by the state,[3][4] and €61m was allocated to clean-up the site and to redevelop it as a park.[5][6] The cleanup and redevelopment project lasted upwards of a decade; from 2011 to 2021.[7]