Catering for all electrical instrumentation and engineering needs and renowned for quality, cost-effective workmanship and excellent service, O’Keeffe Electrical are specialists in industrial, commercial, domestic, educational and healthcare installations. To coincide with their 40th anniversary, we travelled to Ennis, County Clare and caught up with head of administration Shane O’Rourke to find out more.
The genesis of O’Keeffe Electrical dates back to 1976 when the company was initially established as M&OK Electrical. In 1999, when one of the original directors retired, the company was restructured and renamed, with father and son Tom and Jerry O’Keeffe – who between them boast 70 years’ experience of the electrical sector – as owners and directors.
Working for a Who’s Who of main contractors, blue chip companies and public bodies, O’Keeffe Electrical have built up a proven track record in delivering projects on time and to budget with strong technical support provided at design, installation and handover stages.
Providing exceptional, high-quality solutions at competitive prices, O’Keeffe Electrical are members of A.E.C.I. (Association of Electrical Contractors (Ireland)) and R.E.C.I. (Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland). The wide range of services provided includes: Industrial Installation; Electrical Instrumentation; Emergency Lighting; PAT Testing; Small Power Installation; Periodic Inspection Reports; Fire Alarm / Security Installation; Communication / IT Installation; Street Lighting, Flood Lighting and General Lighting & L.V Switchgear Installation.
Electrical Instrumentation is central to all aspects of the O’Keeffe Electrical service, with a wealth of experience and confidence in all aspects of both electrical and instrumentation work in hazardous areas. Customers can rely on them to demonstrate operational excellence in managing the performance of the most complex shutdowns and upgrades with turnarounds executed safely and efficiently, routinely in hazardous areas with ATEX risk assessment and management.
O’Keeffe Electrical provides reliable, efficient specialist electrical instrumentation services to the process industries in Ireland, including the installation of stainless steel instrumentation pipe fitting. Their dedicated team of electrical instrument personnel are trained and familiar with all aspects of
Hazardous area installation and maintenance, and are upskilled on an ongoing basis.
The market-leading Ennis-based electrical contractors, who generate direct employment for a diligent crew of up to 40, are synonymous with outstanding electrical instrumentation and engineering works across Munster and the West of Ireland in the education, healthcare, industrial, retail / commercial, hotel / leisure, housing and public sectors.
At the time of writing, the O’Keeffe Electrical team were busy working on site at a number of high-profile locations locally including upgrades and refurbishment at Shannon Airport; Roche Ireland Pharmaceutical Plant in Clarecastle (where they have been carrying out explosion-proof installations for the past 35 years including lighting, fire alarm, access control, main board and sub board, general power and containment); Refurbishment and Extension at Nenagh Hospital and new extensions at Regina Hospital, Kilrush and Ennistymon Hospital.
One of the real strengths of O’Keeffe Electrical is that they can provide a complete service, all in-house, with no need to bring in any other subcontractors. They are available for projects nationwide. They have also developed the expertise to provide solutions in live environments with zero disruption to business or patient care – a vital electrical contracting skill which is often overlooked and taken for granted. In short, O’Keeffe Electrical offer outstanding solutions across the full spectrum of electrical applications with a minimum of fuss.
“Our main areas of work would consist of looking after electrical instrumentation, periodic inspection reports, fire alarm and security installations as well as general lighting / emergency lighting,” Shane O’Rourke notes. “We’re doing quite a bit of healthcare work at the moment, with up to ten men working in Nenagh Hospital and further crews on site at Ennistymon and Regina Hospitals.”
As the HSE’s electrical contractor of choice in County Clare for the past four decades, O’Keeffe Electrical have gained priceless experience working in the healthcare sector. “We’ve never had any issues we abide by all health standards and regulations and also handle some HSE work outside the county as well. In addition to the installations, we also provide an excellent back-up service and have a team of five technicians who visit all the HSE sites carrying out maintenance work to ensure that everything continues to run smoothly.
“We’ve been working on the complete overhaul of Shannon Airport for the past four years and have carried out major work there, including an extensive upgrade of the fire alarm system, terminal upgrade, lighting, emergency lighting, PA equipment and access control.”
Having come through the very worst that the economic downturn could throw at them, O’Keeffe Electrical are in a very strong position going forward. Firmly established as the premier commercial, industrial and domestic electrical contractor in the Clare region, they are in extremely rude health as they mark their 40th anniversary.
“There has been an improvement in the past 12 – 18 months and hopefully there will be further growth to come,” Shane concludes.
O’Keeffe Electrical,
Quin Road,
Ennis,
County Clare.
Tel: 065 6824159
Fax: 065 6828476
Email: [email protected]
Web: okeeffeelectrical.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October 2016, Vol 2 No 6
