IN PICTURES: Launch of Laois exhibition of malt factory doctor's escape from Nazi Germany

A gripping exhibition has been launched in a Laois library detailing the history of Mountmellick Malt Factory, and its links to people who escaped the Nazis and also the Bolsheviks.  A display of first hand documents uncovered by journalist Sean O'Driscoll in a shed, with artifacts and photos from the factory, it remains open throughout August.  More below gallery. Tap NEXT or arrows.

The exhibition in Mountmellick library was launched to a packed house on Tuesday evening, August 13.

Journalist Sean O'Driscoll who moved to the the town and discovered the documents in a binbag in a shed, researched further and with the expert support of local historian Ann O'Brien put on the exhibition.

He thanked the Donath family who came along on the night, including Uschi Love (nee Donath) whose father Helmut brought Dr Werner Schwarz to safety to work in his factory back in 1939. Dr Schwarz became the town photographer and fell in love and married local girl Anne Tuohy.

"The story is fascinating, the Donaths fled Latvia when Russia invaded and ended up running this factory. The entire history of the factory was just there, it's just extraordinary," he said.

Mr O'Driscoll thanked Mountmellick Library for their support, describing it as "the heart" of the town.

Uschi Love was there with her daughters Susannah and Katrina and shared her story with the Leinster Express / Laois Live . 

"My parents came from the war in Latvia. They went to South Africa, then Canada, then England and then Mountmellick. He had a malt factory in Riga, where he developed a secret for extracting the malt, using a special enzyme. He had factories in Germany but the Bolsheviks took over, then Hitler invaded. If he had stayed they would all have been bombed. He had to prove he was Aryan. 

"My dad hired Werner. My father was the factory manager, later managing director. In 1961 when he died my mother Gertrud worked in the office and later became a director with Hamish Sweetman. My father trained Hamish," she explained to the Leinster Express / Laois Live at the exhibition launch.

Mr Sweetman then took over and ran the factory until it closed in the early 1990s.

Sinead Holland, chair of Laois Heritage Society curates the Laois Local Studies archive in Portlaoise Library.

"Mountmellick has a long, unique tradition and this exhibition tells part of that story. Mountmellick people are very aware and proud of their own history. My own grandfather worked there as a young man. How fortunate the town has been with its 'blow-ins', from the Quakers and their story of industry and commerce, to Dr Schwarz and for Sean to unearth this right here in our midst is special," she noted.

The exhibits include empty malt containers and a handtruck used to transport bags of malt, all loaned by local people.