1863Henry Ford is born in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of Irish emigrant, William Ford from Ballinascarthy, West Cork
1912Ford pays his first visit to Cork and goes to Fair Lane on the city's northside - now Wolfe Tone Street, where his mother's father, Patrick Ahern, was born.
1917Ford receives permission from UK Government to build the first Ford plant outside of the US at the Marina in Cork, on the site of the city's racetrack.
1919The Cork plant - set up to manufacture the company's Fordson tractors - produces its first tractor. The plant would later start producing the famous Model T. 1930 Workforce reaches 7,000, making it the largest Ford employer outside the US and the second-largest employer in the Irish Free State after the railways.
1932Tractor manufacturing in Cork is terminated and transferred to Dagenham in Essex. Thousands leave to work in Dagenham.
1938Cork plant builds its 25,000th car as it marks its 21st anniversary, during which time 73,000 vehicles had been produced, £1 million spent on Irish materials and £6 million paid in wages.
1942Production at the Marina ceases as the second World War impacts on the import of components and fuel rationing leads to a drop in demand for cars.
1946Company regroups and recommences production at the Marina site; within three years it announces sales of more than 10,000 vehicles on the domestic market.
1950Agreement reached with the ITGWU to allow the union represent workers in the plant which up until had been non-unionised.
1953Henry Ford's grandson Henry Ford II visits Cork where he's greeted by some 400 striking protesters who had ceased work demanding a wage increase.
1956-1966Production at the plant increases by over 200 per cent, with the plant now assembling over 14 models of cars and commercial vehicles for both export and sale on the domestic market.
1967Taoiseach Jack Lynch opens a £2 million modernisation of the plant and urges other sectors of Irish industry to follow suit and invest and modernise in anticipation of entry into the EEC. 1972 Changes in methods of assembly result in a rationalisation and a reduction in the number of models produced to just two: the Escort and the Cortina.
1979Henry Ford & Son Ltd is commissioned to design and manufacture a vehicle for the visit of Pope John Paul II - the Popemobile is built at the Marina plant.
1982Ford invests £10 million in modernising the plant for assembly of the Sierra and becomes a single car plant, but Cork can't compete with bigger Ford plants in Genk and Dagenham.
1984Ford Motor Company in Cork reports losses of £10 million on top of losses of £35 million for the preceding three years; a decision is taken to close the plant with the loss of 800 jobs.
