Operating out of Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon and with a regional office in Trim, Co Meath, Griffdon Engineering is a trusted leader in electrical engineering, delivering high-performance solutions across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Building Ireland touched base with General Manager Alan Kirwan to discuss the ins and outs of this family-run company which is set to mark 25 years in business next year.
In June, Griffdon Engineering announced that it is to create 48 new jobs at its headquarters along the Dublin Road in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.
The new jobs are set to provide a huge boost to the Ballaghaderreen community and their creation was supported by Enterprise Ireland’s Company Development Fund.
As well as boosting the local economy, the creation of the new jobs enhances skills in the electrical service sector and capitalise on the growing need for support among multinationals in the tech, pharmaceuticals and life science industries.
As it stands, Griffdon Engineering employs 520 people across Ireland and Europe and the latest expansion move by the company now sees it with 150 personnel based here in Ireland.
General Manager of Griffdon Engineering, Alan Kirwan said: “The Enterprise Ireland support and funding marks a proud moment for Griffdon Engineering, for Ballaghaderreen, and for the wider community.
“With renewed momentum, we look forward to building on this foundation and achieving even more—together. We’re very grateful to our partners at Enterprise Ireland, whose support and belief in our vision has played a vital role in helping us to continue on our journey.
“Enterprise Ireland’s commitment to nurturing Irish innovation and job creation has been instrumental in this journey.
“Griffdon Engineering are actively recruiting for a range of roles, including electrical apprenticeships, qualified electricians, quantity surveyors, project planners, and EMEA payroll specialists. We welcome interest from talented individuals who are eager to grow with us.”
For Director Seamus Griffin, the announcement on June 9th at the company’s offices, where Minister of State with responsibility for Employment, Small Business and Retail, and the Circular Economy Alan Dillon T.D. and Enterprise Ireland CEO Designate Jenny Melia were in attendance, marked “a proud day for Griffdon Engineering, for Ballaghaderreen, and for the wider community”.
Since ‘Day One’, Griffdon Engineering has enjoyed continued growth and its success to date is down to its unwavering commitment to its core values.
Set-up by Martin and Mary Griffin in 2001, Griffdon Engineering started off as a cable pulling company and has since has grown into a leading electrical engineering services provider.
Seamus Griffin began working with the family business in 2004 in the management and contract procurement side of the business, and Elayne came on board in 2019 in the health and safety side of the company.
“Over the past eight years, Griffdon Engineering has expanded rapidly, securing large-scale projects across Ireland and Europe in the exciting and fast-paced sector of critical infrastructure, working with some of the world’s leading technology companies,” said Kirwan who came onboard as General Manager of the company in April.
He added: “Griffdon Engineering employ 150 personnel based here in Ireland and have a further 360 spread through Europe including Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.”
The company’s clients include the likes of Winthrop Technologies, Jones Engineering, Kirby Group, Suir Engineering, Dornan Group, Mercury Engineering, Designer Group, Sisk, Cloud HQ, Amazon and Exyte to name a few.
As for the projects it has on-going at the moment, Griffdon Engineering crews are currently immersed in two different Data Centers in Dublin, a Brewery in Newbridge, Pharma in both Mayo and Dublin and Food Nutrition in Sligo and Mayo.
Right now, they have seven Data Centers on-going in Sweden and more in the UK (1), Germany (3), Denmark (3), France (1) and Finland (1).
So, all of that considered, the clear question is what has been the secret behind Griffdon Engineering’s success to date?
How has a small start-up grown into what is now very much a trusted leader in electrical engineering with more than 500 full-time staff on its books?
“At Griffdon Engineering, our competitive edge lies in our commitment to excellence, our experienced and agile workforce, and our proven ability to deliver complex electrical solutions across multiple sectors and geographies — all while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and client satisfaction,” Kirwan commented.
Indeed, honesty, quality, and attention to detail are just a few of the principles that sets Griffdon Engineering apart from the competition.
As a result, the company has amassed an excellent reputation for providing exceptional service to clients while remaining commercially competitive.
To date, Griffdon Engineering has earned three separate ISO awards – ISO 9001- Quality Management System; ISO 45001 – Safety Management System and ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System – and has also been awarded numerous Subcontractor of the Month and Subcontractor of the Quarter awards on various sites throughout the regions in which its worked.
At the time of writing just seven months into 2025 Griffdon Engineering already has 6 monthly recognition awards, with many awards being given dating back to 2023.
ARN50 Sweden Amazon “Health and Safety” Feb 23 by Collen
ARN50 Sweden Amazon “Subcontractor of the month” Feb 23 by Collen
GVX 22 Sweden Microsoft “Subcontractor of the month” April 24 by Kirby
GVX 22 Sweden Microsoft “Subcontractor of the month” September 24 by Kirby
GVX12 Sweden Microsoft “Contractor of the Month” Nov 24 by Winthrop
GVX13 Sweden Microsoft “Contractor of the Month” Dec 24 by Winthrop
FKQB1 Germany Microsoft “Contractor of the Month” March 25 by Winthrop
GVX 03 Sweden Microsoft “Subcontractor of the month” April 25 by Kirby
GVX04 Sweden Microsoft “Contractor of the Month” May 25 by Jones
CPH01 Denmark Microsoft “Safety excellence award” May 25 By Sisk
GVX13 Sweden Microsoft “Environmental Contractor of the Month” June 25 by Winthrop
ARN61 Sweden Amazon “Supply chain partner of the month” July 25 by Kirby
The awards come off the back of “a tradition of excellence” within the company, which is not just a phrase, but a way of life that they live by in order to meet our customers’ requirements.
At Griffdon Engineering, they continually strive for ways to improve operations teams and implement its Quality Management System on all projects to ensure that each one is completed with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail.
All of that considered, it’s not hard to see why the success story keeps on growing at Griffdon Engineering as it fast approaches a quarter century in business.
Griffdon Engineering
Dublin Road,
Ballaghaderreen,
Co Roscommon (F45 N512).
Tel: 094 953 2777
E-mail: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September, Vol 11 No 10
featured, Griffdon Engineering
