Staff began gathering since early morning to learn their fate following weeks of speculation.

Father-of-one Thomas McNamara, 28, of Keyes Park has been working on
the weekend shift at Dell for the past four years. He said the
announcement wasn't a surprise.

"People were expecting it, I was myself and I would have been shocked if they told us our jobs were safe, a lot of people would have shocked if they said things would be okay," added Mr McNamara who revealed he has plans to marry his partner, Ciara, in the near future.

"I'm kind of shocked in a way but it won't settle in until October
because that is when the line I work on will be let go," he told
reporters.

Denis Ryan, 53, who lives in Newcastlewest said: "I'm disappointed
because the New York press could tell two years ago that Dell was
closing but management kept that quiet and they have used this
recession to close the place," he said.

Mr Ryan, who was previously made redundant when Krups closed in 1992,
said he will just have to get on with his life. "People will have to
improvise and do what they have to do but no-one is going to starve at
the end of the day and I have plenty of friends."

Another employee, Eamon Ryan, 59, from Nenagh, said he was angry at
the redundancy package, which was offered to workers. "The redundancy
package is six weeks pay per year of service based on base-rate pay,
it does not include overtime earnings and it does not include shift
allowances which it should do," he said adding the impact of the job
losses will be severe.

"There are plenty of people here who have mortgages and young families and I don't honestly don't know how they will survive and for people in their late forties and early 50s it is going to be an extremely difficult time."

Around 30 percent of those who will lose their jobs at Dell are
non-nationals. Raiss Djro, who is originally from the Ivory Coast said
it was a sad day for everyone at the company. "It is a sad day but
what can we do, I am not a pessimist and hope things will be okay. At
the moment things are though but I think they will get better," said
the father-of-one who now lives at Old Cork Road.

Niall Sheehy from Knockaderry said: "I've been here for seven years
and for Dell to go from Limerick means Limerick is finished it is just
finished."