All the group worked in the Nord Mende electronics plant there. Nordmende is a manufacturer of entertainment electronics and was originall based in Bremen, Germany. Mende (the founder's son) created a new company in Bremen in 1947, in a former Focke-Wulf plant, under the name North German Mende Broadcast GmbH. The name was subsequently changed to Nordmende: subsequently the company became one of the prominent German manufacturers of radios, televisions and tape recorders . In the 1970s, Nordmende televisions were renowned for their innovative chassis, and for the rigorous testing and quality control of their finished products. Due to a technical labour shortage in the mid-1970’s the manufacturing company recruited Yugoslavian and Irish technicians for their plant in Bremen. The first batch of Irish recruits occurred in the Radio & TV School, Glanmire, Cork in 1973. Eight technicians were flown to Bremen on a 3-year extendable contract. High manufacturing costs soon proved a competitive disadvantage and in 1977 a majority shareholding was sold to the French Thomson Brandt company. Nordmende was well known for its televisions throughout Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. The Nordmende brand name was re-launched in Ireland in September 2008 by the KAL Group. Home electronics products under Nordmende brand are currently only available in Italy and the Irish and Northern Irish markets. This page is dedicated to the original eight Irish workers who worked in the Bremen plant:
Joe Dillon, Timmy Hyde, Eileen Hegarty, Larry Healy, Gerry Considine , Eddie O’Connor, Don O’Neill and David (Junior) Walshe.
