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Not many of us will see 100 coming up, but Ford has now had two 100th birthdays. The company as a whole celebrated its centenary in 2003, and now, in 2017, it's celebrating 100 years in Ireland - a century since its factory in Cork, the first Ford plant outside of North America, opened just a few miles from the Ford family's ancestral birthplace.
And Bill Ford came home to mark the occasion. Bill, or William Clay Ford Jr. to give him his full and correct title, is the great-grandson of Henry Ford himself, and visited both Cork city and the little village of Ballinascarthy where once stood the Ford family homestead.
"I am excited and honoured to be coming home to Cork to celebrate 100 years of Ford in Ireland," said Ford. "Ford has deep roots in Cork, not only through my family's historical connection, but also through the impact that the Ford factory has had as an engine for prosperity for the area over many decades."
Ford attended a gala civic reception at Cork City Hall, attended by the mayor of Cork, and more importantly by 300 former employees of Ford's factory in the 'real' capital, which closed in 1984. Up till then, the plant had turned out models from the early Fordson tractors, through to the Model T and Model A, the Prefect, Anglia, Escort, Cortina, Transit and, for a few brief months, the Sierra.
In fact, the Ford plant produced the last Model T to be made anywhere in the world, in 1928, and was way ahead of most global factories in producing several different models on one production line - something that at the time was thought wasteful and uneconomical. Today it is standard industry practice.
Ford, company and man, also announced a new scholarship in association with University College Cork - the Ford Centenary Quercus Scholarship will run for five years, beginning with the 2017-18 academic year and will run until 2022.
Over the five year scholarship period, the new programme will help approximately 50 talented students to realise their potential and to fully develop their talents through educational and practical support.
"With both deep personal and business connections to Ireland, I am delighted to celebrate not only 100 years of Ford in Ireland this week, but also to support the advancement of talented students at UCC with this new scholarship programme," said Bill Ford. "While we have a lot to celebrate about our past, I'm especially excited that this scholarship provides the opportunity for us to support a new generation of innovators and leaders that can help shape the future for the next 100 years."