New jobs as Callaghan Electrical to grow staff to eighty

Contractor opens state-of-the-art new office headquarters in Stradone

A Cavan-based company is creating eight new jobs as part of its 2024 expansion plan.

Callaghan Electrical, one of the region's leading electrical contractors to the construction and commercial sectors, made the announcement at the firm's official opening of their new office headquarters in Cavan last Friday, September 1.

“This is a great day for us, all our team and our loyal customers”, said Kieran Callaghan, Managing Director, Callaghan Electrical.

“We are eternally grateful to those who put their faith in us, trust our expertise and our commitment to service. As we celebrate our 27th year in business, I would like to thank our team who have come on the journey with us and for their fantastic work ethic, commitment, and drive,” he added.

“Small-to-medium sized companies like Callaghan Electrical are the backbone of economies in Ireland”, commented Conor Craven, acting Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Cavan.

“They contribute immensely to jobs and prosperity through the provision of skilled employment and the supply of critical business services,” he added.

Callaghan Electrical provides a range of electrical contracting services to the construction, commercial and public sector across Ireland. The company’s services include electrical design and build, electrical installation and fitout and electrical maintenance.

Clients include McGarrell Reilly Group, Elliott Group, the HSE and the OPW.

Founded in 1996 by Kieran Callaghan, the firm currently employs 72 locally and nationwide. The firm is hiring eight new roles over the coming months with numbers expected to hit 80 early in 2024.

Key roles being hired for include senior electricians and apprentice electricians. “For us timing and resources is critical. We make hardened commitments to our clients about our resources, experience and delivery times – we simply do not let them down. Hence our strategy of gradual, manageable, organic growth,” said Mr Callaghan.

“The biggest challenge for us and those in our sector is the shortage of staff and talent. This is impacted by wider societal and economic challenges such as the cost of living in Ireland,” said Callaghan.

“Post-pandemic, and particularly for those at an early stage in their career, the appeal of travelling to Europe, Australia or further afield is more attractive when you simply can’t afford to rent, buy or build a property here in Ireland,” he continued.

The firm claims this will lead to a future gap in the market for qualified electricians and project managers.

The firm also points to recruitment, staff development, internal progression and promotion as key to year on year growth since 1996.

“The fact we still have our first ever client, Charles Reilly, McGarrell Reilly Group, cutting the ribbon for us today, 27 years on, says it all. In 1996, our first project was delivering an electrical fit-out of eight houses for McGarrell Reilly. Today we are still active with them on multiple projects nationwide including a 247-unit apartment complex in Hansfield, Dublin.”

The firm attributes its long term partnerships and company growth to finding the right staff and investing in their training and development. “Senior members of our management team, such as Padraig, David Gabriel and Joe, either started with us as apprentices or skilled up in niche, expert areas via training and certification. This is our strategy – look after staff, they will look after clients,” explained Mr Callaghan.

“This is a great success story for Callaghan Electrical based in the rural village of Stradone”, said Councillor Philip Brady, Cathaoirleach, Cavan County Council. “It demonstrates the great entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well in county Cavan and the local authority will continue to support businesses like this in every way possible. It is also great to see so many young, local people contributing to the success of the company”, added Councillor Brady.

Asked on the day as to what is different today compared to when he started out in 1996, Callaghan points to increasing complexity in terms of electrical specification and design due to changes in technology.

“In the early days, our focus was sockets, lights, a TV point and a phone point. Today, as you can imagine both the residential and commercial market requires much more sophistication in terms of multimedia technology, safety and communications systems. Builders and developers need their electrical contractor to stay abreast of new communication and technology trends and have a reliable and experienced team to deliver it,” outlined Mr Callaghan.