William Clay (Bill) Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company and great-grandson of its founder Henry Ford, unveiled a plaque at Ballinascarthy, Co. Cork, commemorating the Ford family’s connection with the village.

Mr. Ford, who was on a personal visit to Ireland with his family, met with the local community of Ballinascarthy and had lunch with Hazel Ford Buttimer, a descendant of the Ford family, before visiting the site of the original Ford homestead.

Mr. Ford’s great-great grandfather, also William, left Cork on a famine ship in 1847 bound for the US. The company, which his son Henry founded, now employs 166,000 people and sells more than 5 million vehicles a year around the world.  Henry Ford himself visited Ireland 99 years ago this year, paving the way for the establishment of Henry Ford & Son Limited in Cork five years later, in 1917. It remains the only Ford business in the world to bear the full name of the company’s founder.