THE team at Dennehy Garden & Construction Machinery prides itself on customer service. And while the business will celebrate its five-year anniversary early next year, owner Michael Dennehy notes that it’s 35 years in the making.
Like many Kilrush businesses, the priority at Dennehys is looking after the people and customers of West Clare. Michael includes the summer population in that, a huge part of the experienced businessman’s customer base. “The mantra here is, Dennehy SRS. Service, repairs, sales. We specialise and promote servicing, repairing, and finally only selling when all else fails. We’re not sales focussed, we’re repair focussed. When you see a fuel problem you try and educate the customer,” he adds.
Dennehys offer a range of lawnmowers, strimmers, hedge cutters, blowers, chainsaws, block splitters, shredders, cement mixers, generators, power washers and more, with a wide range of battery operated, electric and fuel options.
Michael has been working in the repair business all his life, from plant hire to cranes while he has worked on large-scale national projects. Dennehy Garden & Construction Machinery was established in February 2020, when Michael took over the reins from Landscape & Leisure where Michael had already been working. “I had an inside line on it, I knew most of his customers, the opportunity presented itself so why not take it,” he told The Clare Echo.
Michael admits that the timing of the business opening – just weeks before Covid restrictions were first implemented – ended up being a positive. “We were blessed with our location. We didn’t have frontal display or access, we were at the rear of a building so we never closed our doors right through the health period of Covid and it worked. Not alone did we provide mechanical services but I think there was a lot of psychological services provided,” he quipped.
“Since Covid, people’s gardens was possibly the only thing people could do to keep their sanity other than look at television and computers. It was very beneficial for us sales wise and repairs wise”.
A Tulla native originally, dad of six Michael has been in West Clare since the 1980s. His team on the Ennis road includes Kevin Coffield and Michael’s wife Helena. Servicing the wider public and local tradespeople, Dennehy’s also carry out service work for landscapers.
The 55-year old admits he loves Kilrush as a place to do business. “As a location for business, it’s wonderful. You have Aldi, Tesco, you have big farm merchants in the area.
“There’s always a reason to come to Kilrush. You don’t necessarily come to Kilrush to me, you will be coming with other business and as a side shoot you’ll drop in a machine to me and take care of other business and away you go again. We have quite a large holiday home business from tourists from all over the country. We’re one of their first ports of call on their way down”.
He adds, “2025 will be our 5th anniversary but on the business card it’s 30 years in the making. We’re 35 years in the business. Every day is still a school day, you have to be willing to learn and change, good or bad go with them”.
