Over the past 43 years and counting, Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies has established itself as the premier one-stop shop in the NorthWest for all plumbing, heating and bathroom solutions, delivering the best products and service to contractors, the trade and homeowners alike. Building Ireland spoke to managing director Kevin Martin to discuss the many strengths of this long-established, customer-focused family business.
Covering the entire county of Donegal and beyond from its spacious, modern store and showroom in Donegal Town, Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies – an industry-leading family-run business with a long and proud history of serving the local community – has been providing top-class products and invaluable service to the plumbing, heating and extended construction sector since its inception in 1983.
The expert team on hand at Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies offer knowledge and advice on a wide range of products, from renewable energy solutions to plumbing and heating products, equipment and tools, tiles, bathrooms, stoves and much, much more besides. No wonder that over the past four decades and more, this busy hub – built and run by the Martin family – has become the first port of call for discerning contractors, general and mechanical, homeowners and DIY enthusiasts across Donegal who appreciate convenience, service, value and genuine industry expertise.
Would MD Kevin Martin agree that the enduring success and popularity of Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies is based on invaluable experience, immeasurable expertise and exceptional customer service? “I’d like to think so, and that comes from my mum and dad, who set the business up in 1983, when they moved back here from Dublin. They were the ones who set those standards and insisted on them and on the back of that the business has grown and evolved organically and in a sustainable fashion.”
Kevin has been part of the family business for 20 years and took over the day-to-day running of Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies a few years ago. Upon taking the helm, he set about looking for areas where he could improve things, although he is quick to observe that a very strong base was already in place.
As the name infers, Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies supply a comprehensive range of home heating, plumbing and bathroom solutions to cater for new build homes and upgrades / renovations.
On the increasingly-critical renewables side, they supply Samsung and Daikin air source heat pumps and Warmflow ground source heat pumps as well as offering complete underfloor heating, air conditioning, heat recovery ventilation solutions and thermodynamic solar energy for new build homes and retrofits.
Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies have an extensive tile and bathroom showroom in Donegal town with a large range of products from vanity units, WCs, wet rooms, baths and showers. They are also suppliers of insert and freestanding pellet stoves, wood burning stoves, multi-fuel stoves, boiler or non-boiler, from leading brands such as Stanley, Nordic Fire, Elcofire and Klover. A full range of single and double skin flue pipes for stoves is also stocked.
As with any independent business that survives the test of time, it hasn’t all been plain sailing and there were many difficulties to be overcome along the way, through hard work and perseverance. “There have been ups and downs but we have kept going,” says Kevin. “I came in around 2007 and straight away there was a recession that hit construction hard. We worked our way through that recession and other downturns, so we’ve seen both sides of it – the good and the bad.
“When you come through tough times, it makes you stronger and we are in a good position now and very busy, with a good customer base locally and around the county and even further away.”
One of the many strengths of Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies is that they look after both tradesmen and the general public. “Our customers are a mix of the trade and homeowners,” Kevin confirms. “We supply a lot of sites through contractors and also homeowners who are renovating their own homes as well as your day-to-day plumber carrying out repairs and upgrades. It’s a good mix and we value every customer equally and go out of our way to look after them all.”
The nature of plumbing, heating and bathroom supplies is that customers invariably want products to be available either today or sometimes even yesterday! “We carry a massive stock on the plumbing end of it and can very quickly source all bathroom products from our suppliers,” says Kevin. “That really stands to us because for obvious reasons plumbers don’t want to be waiting around. Because of the huge stock, we get business all over the county.
“We handle our own deliveries and most days we would be in every part of the county. Our suppliers also deliver products to site, so there’s never an issue in terms of getting products out to customers asap.”
Renewables are a big part of what’s happening at Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies these days, as the personable MD confirms: “In new builds now it’s nearly all air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. At least 90 per cent are going with heat pumps. Renewable energy is massive now and that trend is going to continue.”
The hands-on proprietor concedes that Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies will only ever be as strong as the team on hand and in this respect he feels fortunate to be surrounded by great people: “We have a team of ten at present and they are central to everything. A lot of them have been here for years and you can’t put a price on that. They are experienced and have great knowledge, and our customers have the peace of mind and convenience of dealing with the same faces all the time.”
As for the future of Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies, some 43 years into this great success story, Kevin concludes: “We’re constantly changing and upgrading everything to keep it fresh and relevant. You always strive to move with the times and our suppliers play a big part in keeping us on track with the latest products and innovations.
“It is only getting busier and I don’t know where the industry will go over the next two to three years, but all in all we are very happy with where we are at.
“There are a lot of housing developments going on around Donegal now and that’s encouraging, meaning we’re busier than ever.
“We really appreciate the loyalty of our customers, and we’ll certainly be focusing on making sure we continue to give them the best products, service and value going forward.”
Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies Ltd.,
Old Laghey Road,
Donegal Town,
County Donegal.
Tel: 074 97 22052
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/donegalplumbingandheating
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donegal_plumbingbathrooms/
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2026, Vol 12 No 12
Donegal Plumbing & Heating Supplies, featured
