Your business partner and advisor - GMK Partners and Farnham Financial Services Ltd

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS

For more than four decades, GMK Partners and Farnham Financial Services has been part of the fabric of business life in Cavan, supporting generations of local businesses, families and individuals as they build, grow and plan for the future.

Founded in 1984, the firm has developed from its origins as GM Kelly & Co into GMK Partners; while its sister company, Farnham Financial Services, has expanded the range of independent financial services available to clients.

Today, with more than 42 years of experience behind it, the firm continues to work with businesses across Cavan and further afield, providing advice and guidance across accounting, taxation, business planning, investment, pensions, succession and financial planning.

For Managing Partner Gerard Kelly, the firm’s long-standing relationship with the local business community remains at the heart of its work.

“The team at GMK Partners and Farnham Financial Services is committed to our clients, and our mission is to continue advising and guiding our client companies and firms to grow, achieve their objectives and achieve success,” he said.

That commitment takes on added significance at a time when businesses are operating in an increasingly complex and unpredictable environment.

As Autumn 2026 approaches, Mr Kelly points to global uncertainty, energy costs, inflation, interest rates and national wage negotiations as some of the challenges facing businesses and households.

“The world is uncertain and unpredictable,” he said.

“The war in Iran in particular has caused oil prices to soar again, with energy stocks decreasing and the knock-on effect on inflation throughout the world, and especially in Ireland with our particularly open economy,” added Mr Kelly.

While Ireland’s economy continues to perform strongly, supported by the contribution of international exporting companies, Mr Kelly believes careful management of the economy and sustainable investment will be increasingly important.

“There is a real danger if not certainty of overheating the economy, and overspending on current budget areas rather than effective and planned capital expenditure. Our levels of current spending may not be sustainable into the future. Interest rates will be rising for a period to curb inflation and there will be difficult national wage negotiations to navigate in the coming months.”

For businesses, however, he says uncertainty also reinforces their fundamental importance to the economy and wider society.

“The return from financial investments, property investments and all other asset classes ultimately stems from the success of businesses. Our businesses ultimately fund our Government. Our businesses keep the world turning and our economy growing.”

It is a philosophy that closely aligns with the ethos of the Cavan Business and Tourism Awards, which have become an important annual celebration of enterprise, innovation, service and achievement throughout the county.

Mr Kelly believes that recognising those achievements has a wider benefit for the community.

“The Cavan Business and Tourism Awards are so important and have become such a successful annual event,” he said.

“It is crucial to recognise our business people, our staff, good service, improved products and processes, and the voluntary sector. By so doing, we build our local and wider economy, encourage new businesses, improve employment prospects and secure the future for Co Cavan and its people.”

GMK Partners

Initially founded as GM Kelly & Co. in 1984, the firm later became Kelly Rahill & Co before adopting its present name, GMK Partners, with the full title GMK Accounting & Tax Partners Ltd.

Over the intervening decades, the practice has developed into a comprehensive professional service, providing accounting, auditing, taxation, business and strategic planning, and financial and banking advice to a broad client base.

The firm’s modern premises at The Orchard Centre, Loughtee Business Park, Drumalee Cross, Cavan, provide an accessible base with extensive parking and close proximity to the town’s amenities.

Meet the Partners

Gerard M. Kelly, B.Comm, MBA, FCCA, QFA, RPA, remains Managing Partner, having founded the practice more than four decades ago.

He is joined by partners Kevin Gillard, M. Eng., M. Sc., FCCA, AITI, and Jacqueline Cunningham, MIATI, FCCA.

They are supported by a team of qualified accountants, accounting students and administration staff working across specialist areas including taxation, business advisory and consultancy, IT, auditing, retirement and succession planning, and farm partnerships and companies.

Together, the team provides clients with access to a broad range of professional expertise under one roof.

Farnham Financial Services

Farnham Financial Services, the firm’s sister company, was also founded by Gerard M. Kelly and is now led by Mr Kelly and fellow Director Anna Smith, QFA, RPA, PTP, with the support of its wider team.

The company was established to provide independent advice on insurance, savings and investments and pensions, while also assisting business clients and members of the public with investment strategy, wealth building and financial protection.

It operates from spacious premises at 6-8 Ashe Street, Cavan – a building which has an added personal significance for Mr Kelly, as his father’s family resided there more than a century ago after returning from America.

Clients

The breadth of the firm’s client base reflects the diversity and strength of the local economy.

GMK Partners works with family-run enterprises and farms, professional clients, large private concerns and companies, co-operatives, financial institutions and Government bodies across commerce, industry, agriculture, manufacturing, marketing and consumer services.

From established enterprises to businesses planning their next stage of growth, the firm provides advice designed to help clients make informed decisions and prepare for the future.

After 42 years of advising and supporting enterprise, the firm says its focus remains firmly on the same principle that has guided it since 1984 – helping clients to plan confidently, meet their objectives and achieve lasting success.

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