The location of the National Shell Factory today, Parkgate Street (Goggle Maps)
While there has been a huge amount of research done on Irish men who fought in the First World War, the stories of those at home during the conflict deserve attention too. For women, a source of employment during the conflict was the National Shell Factory at Parkgate Street. Many Dubliners will be familiar with the remains of this premises, as a popular series of Dublin Bus stops are found right outside it today. Theresa Moriarty has written on the role women played in munitions factories during the war, noting that:
By 1917 National Shell Factories were established in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Waterford…The workforce in the new shell factories was overwhelmingly female. Only five per cent of this industrial workforce could be male under government munitions regulations.
The Shell Factory also gave many young Irish women their first experience as trade unionists, with the women represented by the NFWW, the National Federation of Women Workers. There was labour agitation within the factory on occasion, with the union succeeding in bringing about improved conditions and rates of pay, but not without struggle. In September 1918 for example, almost 600 women were temporarily locked out of employment. It is noted in Our War: Ireland and the Great War, that the factory “had a nurse on full-time duty and a canteen staffed around the clock by lady volunteers”.
An external view of the National Shell Factory (Imperial War Museum)
Women can be seen at work in the series of photographs digitised by the Imperial War Museum in London. Notice the presence of the Irish Harp and the Union flag on the walls of the premises, and the painted slogan encouraging the women to work as the men at war required shells urgently.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
One of the women is listed as ‘Kathleen Nolan’. There are various shots of Nolan at work, for example “Kathleen Nolan presses a driving band onto a shell” and “Kathleen Nolan sharpens a tool on a grindstone”.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
What became of the Shell Factory following the end of the war? It is noted in The Dublin Fire Brigade: A History that not long after the burning of the Custom House in 1921 there was a fire at the site, which caused serious damage to the premises. by that stage, it was “housing motor cars and army lorries under repair”, making it a target for Irish republicans.
These images come from the online archive of the Imperial War Museum, available to view and search here.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
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Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
Interesting reading and photographs. I’ve heard a little about this factory. I think after the war, many of the women who had worked there suffered from poor health for the remainder of their lives, due to the chemical substance they handled during the manufacturing of the shells. They had some sort nickname referring to their skin, the side effects of the chemicals having made their skin turn a pale yellow colour.
Poor women,working for their family by helping destroying other familys.
Why so much war and evil !It´s an retoric question,I suppose.
These are the victims of the First world war that you do not hear about.
Ciarán, you’re right – they were known as ‘Canaries’ because the cordite made their skin turn a yellowish colour.
I think that site is now occupied by Hickey’s Fabrics, I worked there for five years back in the 80s
Pics 1 and 2 are Kynochs in Arklow. Parkgate street could not have been reached by ships, due to bridges, and the Liffey is not that wide either.
I meant to say the pic External View of National Shell factory, is Kynochs Arklow
My name is George I live in Tsawwassen just outside of Vancouver BC Canada
I was the entertainment manager in the Berni Inn in Nassau street from 1970 through to 77. IT was a beautiful place with four restaurants and each had a bar to serve wine and sherry from the barrel.We held ballads in the plough men’s bar in the basement with all of the top entertainers including The Dublin
City ramblers,yeh Jolly Beggermen ,Paddy Reilly ,Brendan Grace, Paddy Brown Village green Anne Byrne and Paddy Roach just to mention a few it was the in place to be for Ballads.The late John mulhern was one of the directors who went on to marry Charlie Haughey’s daughter who were deeply involved in Prize racehorses in Kildare.CLayton Love was the second director with loves foods.It was a great success untill the ballads went out in late 76.
Still alive and kicking and loving life.Love your recall of what was swinging in
DUblin.q