Carroll's

For other uses, see Carroll.

P.J. Carroll & Company Limited, often called Carroll's, is a tobacco company in Ireland, now a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.^[1] Its cigarette brands were among the best selling in Ireland in the twentieth century. Its factory was for decades the largest employer in Dundalk.

Pack of 20 Carrolls.

History

Patrick James Carroll (b.1803) completed his apprenticeship as a tobacconist in 1824 and opened a shop in Dundalk, later also manufacturing cigars.^[2] Patrick James moved to Liverpool in the 1850s.^[2] His son Vincent Stannus Carroll expanded the firm in the later 19th century.^[2] His son James Marmion Carroll moved to a house outside Dundalk.^[2] A second factory was opened, in Liverpool, in 1923.^[2] The company went public in 1934.^[2]

A purpose-built factory opened in 1970. Designed by Ronnie Tallon of Michael Scott and Partners, it was described by Frank McDonald as "way ahead of anything else in Ireland at the time".^[3]

Carroll's was acquired by Rothmans in 1990; Rothmans was acquired by British American Tobacco in 1998. The company's share of the Irish tobacco market fell from 50% in 1984 to 19% in 2003.^[4] Business and Finance magazine blamed the decline in part on expansion outside its core business and reluctance to introduce king size cigarettes and update packaging.^[4] In 2002 the Dundalk site was sold for €16.4m^[4] to the Department of Education and repurposed for the campus of Dundalk Institute of Technology.^[2][3] Carroll's rents back a small section for its remaining factory operations.^[4]

A package of 20 Major

Brands

• "Sweet Afton", launched in 1919, was named after "'Afton Waters" by Robert Burns, whose sister Agnes was buried in a graveyard opposite the old Carrolls factory in Church Street, Dundalk.^[2]

(Stickers have been placed on packs of Sweet Afton announcing that they are to be discontinued)

• "Carroll’s Number 1", its first filter cigarette, was launched in 1958.^[2]
• "Major",^[4] a strong cigarette, inspired the name of Twenty Major, a leading Irish blog.^[5]

20 Sweet Afton

Of international brands, Carroll's manufactures Rothmans and Dunhill and distributes Winfield, Lucky Strike,^[4] and Kent.^[1]

Sponsorship

Carroll's was a major sponsor of sport in Ireland until restrictions were imposed on tobacco advertising. The company had naming rights over the GAA All Stars Awards (1971–8);^[6] the Irish Open in golf (1963–93); and Irish showjumping horses of the 1970s and 80s, such as "Carroll's Boomerang".^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Guider, Ian (5 November 2004). "Carrolls profits slump by €20m". Irish Examiner. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/11/05/story562750406.asp. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Bellew, Seamus (26 November 2008). "Carroll's Factory: The Carroll and Burns associations". Dundalk Democrat. http://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/dundalknews/Carroll39s-Factory-The-Carroll-and.4724139.jp?articlepage=2. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} McDonald, Frank (22 February 2011). "Dundalk relights fire in former factory". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0222/1224290502270.html. Retrieved 22 February 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Carroll's cigarettes - a burnt out case?". Business and Finance (Ireland). 6 May 2004. http://www.businessandfinance.ie/index.jsp?p=450&n=471&a=1789. 
5. ^ "About". Twenty Major. http://twentymajor.net/about/. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
6. ^ Mc Donnell, Fidelma (23 July 2004). "Riches of Clare: Rewarding the Cream of the Crop". Clare Champion. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/claremuseum/news_events/rewarding_cream_of_crop.htm. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
7. ^ Parkes, Louise (5 January 2005). "Show jumping mourns Paul Darragh". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/sport/show-jumping-mourns-paul-darragh-276749.html. Retrieved 20 February 2010. "by the mid-1970s [Paul Darragh] had joined Eddie Macken to compete under the banner of the tobacco company PJ Carroll in a sponsorship deal that ran for 12 long and very successful years." 

External links

• P.J. Carroll & Company Limited official website