Three sisters, a husband, wife and their two sons were all on the same payroll in the company. Such is the nature of the workforce at the Square D electrical manufacturing plant in Ballinasloe.
"A lot of families are going to be very badly hit. It is a very emotional day," Mr Michael Mullins, one of the company's managers, said after yesterday's announcement.
Mr Mullins, who has worked for 25 of his 28 years with the company as human resources manager, was one of several staff left in the building after most of the workforce went home. "The staff were called to the canteen, and were expecting something.
"We had been told representatives of the US parent company were travelling to make an address. There had been a downturn in orders, but most people thought there would be some rationalisation. Not this." Many tears were shed, there was much upset. "It was felt that the only thing to do was to let people go home and discuss it with their families," Mr Mullins said.
"At this time, the main concern is to try and ease people's pain." But he acknowledged it would not be easy, given the recent employment history in Ballinasloe.
Just over two years ago, AT Cross closed with the loss of 200 jobs. The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, whose family comes from the area and has close links with the town, established a task force to find replacement industry.
"She set it up with so much fanfare, claimed to be from the area, and she has ratted now on the whole lot," Fine Gael senator Mr Ulick Burke said.
Senator Burke was one of the first politicians to visit the plant yesterday. "The Tánaiste, and the junior minister, Mr Noel Treacy, who represents this constituency, knew of this but they did nothing," Senator Burke claimed.
"The Tánaiste said Ballinasloe would be a priority. Yet in the same year that she set up the famous task force, some 2,000 new jobs were created in Galway city, and another 2,900 in 2001."
Ms Trish Gibbons, of SIPTU, said: "We had noticed a downturn in orders, but not on the scale to justify this closure. There is enough work there to keep at least half of the workforce employed."
