YOUR VIEW: ‘FLANAGAN FAMILY WERE GREAT SUPPORTERS OF BUNCRANA’

This is a tragedy for the Buncrana Community as well as the Flanagan Family. I have known the Flanagan’s for 20 years and worked for a short time with them. Brian has been a great supporter of the town of Buncrana as well as the citizens for as many years as the business has been in operation. He would willingly take on trainees that had no skills or other qualifications and train them until they achieved a level of competency where they could be paid a proper wage for their newly acquired skills. Whether it was sales or skills for reupholstery, antique restoration or furniture reproduction, quality was the end result.

Both Brian and his wife were the impetus behind the ACEP educational program that succeeded in helping employed people from any local business to achieve their long sought after leaving Cert qualifications regardless of their age or station in life. Flanagans, Fruit of the Loom, Clubman Omega and the Glue Factory in Cardonagh all contributed to the expense for their employees to lift themselves up educationally. The classes were run at Scoile Mhura in the evenings and for the year the program functioned, 28 adults sat and passed one or more of their leaving Certs. It was a success. Very few people would know that Brian Flanagan paid tutors out of his own pocket for about 6 months to work with some of his employees at the old factory building. He in essence single handedly provided the funds, the space and the heat and all important tea for the ACEP Pilot program. The program then moved onward and independently as was his intention.

In addition, he single handedly saved the Plaza on the Main Street as well. He did the bidding when the facility was up for auction and he, himself, signed the note for the mortgage. The Sunday afternoon dances, the concerts and the formed Committee of local people embarked on the journey of saving one of the town of Buncrana’s landmarks. One purpose; which is still on the table is the development of the Indoor Street Project for local young people at the Plaza.

Brian with the support of his family has given Buncrana another reason to be proud of itself. At one time Flanagan’s was the second largest employer after Fruit of the Loom. He gave everyone a chance at training and work. As a former employee I always used to comment that anyone (me included) that worked for Flanagan’s saw to it that the employee knew more at the end of his employment than at the beginning. We need more people like the Flanagan’s in these troubled economic times in which we live. The family supported many causes on the local and national levels. There is not space allowed here to list these, but be assured that Brian and the rest of the Flanagan family will rise as the phoenix out of it’s ashes to serve the community once again.