Val Martin (b. 1922)

Val Martin came originally from Portumna and graduated from University College Galway with a Civil Engineering degree in 1943. He discusses the post-war road programmes on which he worked with Galway County Council, as a temporary engineer. He also supervised the Forced Peat Cutting, both in Galway and Clare and he was employed by Bord na Móna in 1947 at Newbridge. His job was to oversee the hostels and the wellbeing of the workers. In 1948 when the coalition government came to power, they downgraded Bord na Móna and many staff were left go including Val Martin. After a brief period of work once again with Galway and Clare County Councils, he was reinstated with Bord na Móna and assigned to Boora Bog. He discusses his innovative work there and production in detail and his later assignment to Mountdillon. Later still he was moved to Headquarters Production Control in Dublin and his responsibilities included the entertainment of overseas visitors and travel to places such as Indonesia and Java to give papers on the work of Bord na Móna.