Based in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd is a leading provider of mechanical engineering services throughout Ireland. Building Ireland touched base with its co-director Diarmaid Whoriskey to find out all about the company – from its origins to the state of business today.
These are busy times at Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd and the plan for company co-directors Diarmaid Whoriskey and TJ O’Mahoney is to try and keep things that way right through to next year.
Operating with a workforce of 26 strong, the Co Donegal -based business specialises in the commercial, private and educational sectors and offers its clients a nationwide service.
Diarmaid and his father-in-law TJ set-up the company in 2009 and since that time it has grown year on year into the thriving business that it is today, with an excellent reputation for delivering projects of the highest quality.
Building Ireland spoke with Diarmaid to learn about the ins and outs of Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd and the projects it has on-going at the moment nationwide.
“It’s been very busy here and we’d no real down time at all (during the lockdowns),” he outlined.
“We were only shutdown for three weeks in total last year when the lockdown hit. Lucky enough, we do a lot of work for the HSE and that helped to keep up busy once we got back up and running after those initial three weeks.”
The origins of Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd date back to a time when Diarmaid Whoriskey and TJ O’Mahoney worked together for a company that would go out of the business as a result of the economic recession that hit in 2008.
Within a year, the pair had their new venture up and running and, as the results show, they haven’t looked back since.
The business has been growing year on year and all of the staff at Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd fully qualified and hold all the relevant qualifications required by the trade.
The company operates from Rathmore, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, offering a nationwide service to its clients.
The company operates with a philosophy which offers clients a cost-effective service that is fully compliant with regulations, standards and legislation whilst meeting the specific requirements of each particular project.
At Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd, they are very proud to have trusting and long-term relationships with clients and the aim of the company is to maintain these relationships as well as continue to expand its client base.
Right now, the projects seem to be coming thick and fast for the company despite the challenges out there at the present time.
The Covid-19 pandemic, and the government lockdowns which followed in order to battle the spread of the virus, impacted businesses throughout Ireland and, while Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd would feel some effect, the company has been immersed in HSE work since which sees it staying busy.
“We have upgrade works on-going at St John’s Community Nursing Unit in Sligo and are also working on a new isolation unit in Sligo General Hospital,” said Diarmaid.
“We have fit-out work going on in different Aldi and Centra stores across Ireland. We’ve been working with both of them on and off for five or six years now.
“The furthest Aldi we’ve done to date was down in Tipperary and, I have to say, they’re all good clients to work with.
“We’re also working on the Aldi in Cavan Town at the moment and Breffni Airs new manufacturing facility behind the Kilmore Hotel in Cavan.”
It seems the company is as busy as ever with projects, so the burning question is what has been the secret to its success?
How has a start-up born in the middle of a harsh economic downturn managed to grow year on year into what it is today; a thriving venture, operating with 26 full-time staff and an excellent reputation to go along with it.
For Diarmaid, it comes down to one thing in particular, although there is a host of reasons behind the success of Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd over the past 12 years.
“It’s probably down to our standard of work,” he stated plainly. “They know the level of attention to detail that we give each project and that any issue is sorted out straight away. So, I’d say it comes down to a good standard.
“The only real problem for us at the moment is the rising cost in materials and lack of trades people, but hopefully that will change and we get back to some sort of normality next year.”
Looking towards the months ahead for the business, Diarmaid is as optimistic as ever as it heads towards its 13th year.
Top of the agenda is expansion but, as ever, it will also remain dedicated to delivering the highest levels of service, safety and security and while the continued hands-on experience brings confidence and peace of mind to their customers.
“The hopes are to expand numbers at the start of next year,” he said.
“We are keen to continue growing here and we feel right now as though the future is bright for the company.”
Great to hear.
Rathmore Mechanical Services Ltd
Rathmore,
Ballyshannon
Co. Donegal
Tel: 087 263 1951
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2021, Vol 7 No 12
