Become a member of Drogheda and District Chamber and never leave! That sounds ideal, so when you do find a member with a unique link to the past – celebrate it!
Operating out of the Port of Drogheda, Butterly Shipping (the trade name for Martin Butterly & Co Ltd) has been in operation since 1885, nine years before the chamber was founded.
But the man that headed up the company would ultimately become the first chamber president in 1894, Martin Butterly.
And recently, as part of our campaign to recognise our long-standing members, we got the chance to meet up with company director, Clodagh O’Reilly, and thank them for 132 years of dedicated membership. We even have the original minutes of the first meeting in 1894 and Martin’s subsequent election details.
The company has an extensive network around the globe and work across many sectors of the business.
When established by Martin Butterly, it dealt mainly in coal imports and the export of agricultural produce. Gradually, it drifted into the business of importation of timber and corn and other general commodities.
Tom O’Reilly became involved with the company in the early 1900s and his son, T.J. O’Reilly, took over from him in the early 1940s and drove on the business for years, before the following O’Reilly generations came on board.
“Butterly Shipping is synonymous with the port, Drogheda and the Boyne, and is a real success story. It was great to meet Clodagh and we wish the team well in the years to come,” Chamber CEO, Hubert Murphy, stated.