Sir, - As a niece of Harry Gallagher, born in Strabane and living there until 1939, I too have recollections of the original Urney. It was not my uncle, but his wife, my aunt Eileen, who started Urney chocolates. Living in Urney House, she thought the cellars were being wasted, so she began making sweets in the house, stored them in the cellars, and went round the country selling them - the cottage industry Eamonn MacIntyre mentioned in his letter (May 14th). When the house caught fire, my uncle, who had become involved with the industry, built a factory and bungalow in the grounds of the ruins.
My grandfather used to drive me there when I was a small child, in a pony and trap. In those days the "Colleen Kisses" (peppermint lumps) were made by hand. I was fascinated to see a man pulling a brown sugar mixture off a roller. After a few years the factory also caught fire. It was then that my uncle moved to Tallaght, a small village outside Dublin. As well as the factory, he had houses built for the workers. I went there once in the 1950s and was shown the white turkeys by my aunt, whom I believe had introduced them into Ireland. In those days they interested her much more than the chocolates. -Yours, etc., Delia Gallagher,
Killiney, Co. Dublin.