Along with the arrival of the Irish in the new world came their gift of eloquent speech; blarney, a quality known mostly to the Irish. With such an abundance found in Emmetsburg, the city fathers thought it only fitting to preserve such a valuable commodity. A group of scientists and chemists were engaged to accomplish this. The Blarney Cannery went into operation in the spring of 1962 and has continued production up to this day. In order to neutralize the potency of the Blarney, another product, Repellent, is now being processed at the plant.