The notion of an Irish motor industry is one that is lost on most people. We do not have the vast car factories like our UK neighbours that churn out millions of vehicles each year.
We do not have the engineering firms that are called upon by major manufacturers to hone the suspension of their cars or build a bespoke gearbox, but the Irish contribution to the motor industry should not be overlooked.
Ask anybody to name an Irish car and they will undoubtedly come up with the DeLorean and while some will argue that the car from Back to the Future was built in another country, across the border, it still somehow ranks as a great Irish achievement - even if it was an utter disaster.
But, if we are going to include innovations from Northern Ireland as Irish achievements then surely the work of Belfast veterinary surgeon, John Boyd Dunlop, has to be included. In late 1887 Dunlop developed the first pneumatic tyre for his son's tricycle. Within two years bikes shod with 'Dunlop' tyres began to win races all over the UK and Ireland and soon came to the attention of the president of the Irish Cyclists' Association, Harvey Du Cros. Dunlop and Du Cros formed a business together with a tyre factory built on Stephens Street in Dublin.As it later transpired Dunlop was beaten to the discovery of pneumatic tyres by some 40 years with Robert William Thomson granted a patent in 1846, but with Dunlop's tyres arriving at a crucial time in the development of road transport his contribution is arguably more significant.
So, we gave the world tyres as we know it. Hardly an industry!
Well we also gave the motor industry one of its most famous colours - British Racing Green.
In 1899 American millionaire Gordon Bennet offered the Automobile Club du France a trophy to be raced for annually by the automobile clubs of various countries. With Brit Selwyn Edge having won the 1902 race it fell on the UK automobile club to organise the 1903 event. However, with racing banned on UK roads the decision was made to move the race to Ireland, still subject to UK rule at the time. Laws were changed to accommodate the race and a 327-mile course through Kildare mapped out. As something of a 'thank you' to Ireland the 1903 Napier of Edge was painted Shamrock Green, which later became known as British Racing Green.
Ok so rubber and a colour. Big deal!
Fine, what about the Golf GTI?
Oh no you don't, everyone knows that was an afterhours project by Volkswagen engineers...
Ah but I meant the right-hand drive version.
Robert McBurney was a gifted engineer and rally driver whose father owned one of the first Volkswagen dealerships in Ireland. Apparently Robert could change the engine of a Beetle in 30 minutes flat such was his prowess with the cars from Wolfsburg. When the Mk1 GTI arrived in 1976 the same Volkswagen engineers who cooked it up said it could not be converted to right-hand drive, but such was the success of the car - a handful of special order left-hand drive cars were sold in the UK - that fans were screaming for a right-hand drive model. One of those fans was McBurney who, using off the shelf Volkswagen parts including those from a Transporter, produced what is generally accepted to be the first right-hand drive GTI. The story goes that a team of incredulous Volkswagen engineers soon arrived to inspect McBurney's car and present him with another left-hand drive model so he could do the conversion again. Which he did, showing Volkswagen brass how to build a legend.
Impressive, but that was then. What about now?
Ever heard of Cubic Telecom? It's a Dublin based software company that recently received an €18 million investment from Audi and Qualcomm to build the next generation connectivity systems. One of its other clients is Tesla - the Apple of the motoring world.
You drive a Skoda right? Well the interior trim is likely produced by the C&F Group in Galway alongside parts for the Porsche 911 and Opel Karl.
Tuam-based Connaught Electronics was bought by French powerhouse Valeo on 2007 and rebranded Valeo Connaught Electronics. It produces the radar sensors that form the basis of autonomous cars. Meath based Mergon produces the camera systems for manufacturers such as BMW, Toyota, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover and Tesla.
Kostal has plants in both Limerick and Cork and makes electrical systems for Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Toyota while Tralee based BorgWarner Beru supplies engine components for Jaguar engines including the V8 used in the F-Type.
Still reckon we don't have an automotive industry?