Praise for Cavan LEO
The team at Cavan’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) has been showered with praise following a packed programme of events that celebrated innovation, investment and entrepreneurial ambition across the county during Local Enterprise Week.
Supported by Enterprise Ireland and local authorities nationwide, hundreds of events were staged across the country over the five-day initiative (March 2-6), shining a spotlight on indigenious business.
In Cavan, the week opened with the official unveiling of a cutting-edge advanced manufacturing facility at the IDA’s Killygarry Business Park, and culminated with the prestigious Cavan Local Enterprise Office Awards, hosted at the IKON- Kingspan’s Innovation Centre - a flagship innovation hub.
Cathaoirleach John Paul Feeley was effusive in his praise for LEO head Conor Craven and his team, applauding the scale and ambition of the week’s activities. He spoke glowingly of his visit to the IKON centre, highlighting the remarkable rise of Kingspan, which now employs 29,000 people worldwide.
“Incredible,” he said, of a business headquartered in Cavan and established by the Murtagh family back in the 1960s, starting out from a premises “behind a pub”.
If he had one gripe, he added - describing it as somewhat an “opportunity missed” - it was that the new IDA factory, already being marketed to potential foreign direct investors across the globe, cannot be seen from the main road. Greater visibility, he suggested, would allow passersby to witness the extraordinary transformation and investment that has taken place at the site over the past decade.
In that context, Cllr Feeley paid tribute to the efforts of the local authority in successfully pushing back after the IDA had previously attempted to sell the property. Since then there has been “exception investment”, which is “great to see” said the Fianna Fáil councillor.
Fine Gael councillor Winston Bennett echoed those sentiments, noting that the council and LEO had every reason to be proud of their backing for local SMEs. He pointed to the success of 2025 Enterprise Awards winner Fire Doors Ireland, which had on the same day as the council meeting took place officially opened their new manufacturing facility in Virginia.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil councillor Clifford Kelly said the people of Kingscourt owed a great deal to the Murtagh family and Kingspan. He highlighted that the insulation powerhouse has further expansion plans locally in the years ahead.
He also suggested that the council executive might consider hosting a future council meeting at the IKON centre - a proposal later backed by the Cathaoirleach.
Fine Gael councillor Carmel Brady said Enterprise Week was crucial in showcasing the depth of entrepreneurial energy thriving in Cavan. She took aim at critics of the county’s progress, commenting that she hopes “it’s taken account of by people who say there is nothing happening in the county”.
Sinn Féin councillor Damien Brady also contributed to the discussion, before Chief Executive Eoin Doyle responded on behalf of the executive, thanking councillors for their “positive” remarks.
He said the week had been “extremely well organised” and emphasised the importance of both the IDA site and the IKON centre to Cavan’s economic future.
He also highlighted the role of IDA executive James Boyle, a native of Kilnaleck, adding that the new advanced manufacturing facility demonstrates how local authorities and state agencies can work together to deliver major opportunities for communities.