Did you know that in the 1970s there was a great business in Irish Orange Production. It must have been so, as we at Eirefreight were involved in transporting concentrated Orange syrup from Dublin, Ireland to Baghdad, Iraq overland.

Three to four trucks left over a six week cycle on a regular basis and the paperwork (certificates of origin) said quite clearly Produce of Ireland.


As simple hauliers who were we to question our customers, an American owned conglomerate.
Across Western Europe, Germany , Austria into Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, take a rest and service in Istanbul then across the Bospherous into Eastern Turkey via Ankara into Syria and finally Iraq.

Many borders no mobile phones and the joy of a Daf 2800 or Scania 110, those were the days.
All of 230 horse power if you were the elite although Gardner 180's and Merc 190's all made the pilgrimage during the Klondyke years of overland Middle Eastern Haulage.

Chancers, Professionals, Roques, but all characters to remember and think about 30 years on !

Watch this web for stories of some of the journeys and characters encountered.

We often wondered did the containers at the loading point have anything to do with the oranges, but decided they couldn't have as they came from Israel and the juice went to the Arab world. We all know Israel and Arab countries don't trade, so I suppose its just as well Ireland grew oranges in the seventies !!