Growing home

When Mike and Edel Treanor returned from travelling in 2009, Mike, an architect, had a simple ambition to make beautiful, high-quality lights in a corner of an old boot factory. What came with it was something far bigger.

The factory sat at the heart of an abandoned mill village in Mullan, Co. Monaghan, once home to generations of workers but left empty for decades. As Mullan Lighting grew, so did the village around it.

From being discovered by an influential US interior designer at a Paris trade show to now exporting around 90% of production, Enterprise Ireland has continually supported Mullan Lighting’s international growth. Today, more than 100 people work at Mullan Lighting, across skilled roles including design, welding and ceramics, creating bespoke lights that hang in homes, hotels and restaurants around the world.

That international growth has helped breathe new life into Mullan. Around 30 employees now live in restored workers’ cottages, while the company has invested in a playground, café, community centre and walking trails—creating jobs, homes and new reasons for people to stay, visit and belong.

Forty years ago, Paddy Byrnes started Croom Medical in a small engineering workshop in rural Limerick. Today, the family-founded company develops and manufactures advanced orthopaedic technologies for customers around the world — proof that world-class manufacturing can start, scale and compete globally from rural Ireland.

Most of Croom Medical’s output is exported, primarily to the United States. Its engineers continue to advance precision and metal additive manufacturing, including the 3D-printed titanium femoral implant that travelled to the edge of space. With support from Enterprise Ireland, the company continues to invest in new technology, capacity and international growth.

That global success is creating skilled careers at home. Around 170 people work at Croom Medical’s 24/7 facility, many from the surrounding area and some close enough to walk to work. And with a new 38,000 sq. ft. expansion underway, the company is creating even more capacity and opportunity in Croom.

The impact reaches beyond the factory. Employees coach and manage local sports teams, while Croom Medical supports local schools, GAA and soccer, the community 10K and plans for an all-weather pitch. By creating skilled careers locally, Croom Medical is giving people the opportunity to build their lives in the place they call home.

From starting out in a converted workspace near Richmond Road to a global headquarters overlooking the River Liffey, Fenergo has always called Dublin home. Today, just a stone’s throw from where it began, the company has grown into a global business working with some of the world’s largest financial institutions.

With support from Enterprise Ireland, Fenergo has grown into a global business, with 98% of its work coming from outside Ireland and clients in 34 countries. As it continues to scale, the company is also investing further at home, bringing roles back to Ireland and strengthening its Dublin hub.

For CTO and Co-founder, Niall Twomey, the real impact is the opportunities that growth creates. Graduates and interns have progressed through the business into senior roles, while key technology, strategy and decision-making remain in Dublin.

“Bringing the community through,” as Niall puts it, has been part of Fenergo’s story from the beginning. Through education, mentoring and the Trinity Access Programme, the company helps young people see a route into technology, gain experience in a global business and build careers in the city they call home.