Dr Johnny Hamill 05.03.25

Probus Wed 5th March 2025 Speaker: Dr Johnny Hamill

The guest speaker on Wednesday 5th of March was Dr. Johnny Hamill, well-known local historian with an insightful talk on “Desmonds”, for many years sole supplier of garments to Marks and Spencer. At its height Desmond’s operated eight factories in West Ulster. At its peak the company employed several thousand workers and had an annual turnover of £100 million. Faced with rising competition from Asian garment manufacturers, it went into voluntary liquidation in 2004 by which time it was only a shadow of its former self. The company’s strength in its heyday is reflected by the fact that it’s Omagh factory once had 350 employees who produced 5 million pairs of chinos for per annum for Marks and Spencer’s.

Dr. Hamill’s talk focused on the origins of the company, started in 1885 by Bridget Desmond. This remarkable lady employed local women to piece together shirts in their own time in their own homes. With no direct control over quality and supply lines Bridget opened her first factory in her husband’s workshop in 1907. Its success in the years which followed owed much to the way Bridget cared for and looked after her employees. She set both the style and standard, creating a culture and ethos in the workplace that secured the loyalty and commitment of the workforce long after her death in 1911 age 48. It was a legacy kept alive by her grandson, Sir Denis Desmond, right to the end.