I had an eye-opening visit to Coillte Nursery in Ballintemple. Listening to the energetic and passionate Ronan O'Keeffe on a tour around the beautiful Carlow countryside, it is hard not to come to the conclusion that the future of construction lies in timber.

With 400 acres dedicated to germinating and processing 30 million trees annually for the Irish Forestry Industry, we have a sustainable resource to meet our construction and joinery needs for generations. The end product is suitable for a wide variety of timber frame construction. Also domestic companies like MEDITE SMARTPLY transform this plentiful supply of home grown raw material into high performing versatile building material such as high quality MDF, Tricoya and OSB.

Through innovative cross-pollination methods, the nursery team has significantly improved tree quality, resulting in faster-growing, denser, and straighter trees with fewer irregularities. A more carbon-hungry tree that will effectively sequester carbon for generations is the result.

Interestingly, one of the techniques in use at the nursery is called "grafting" which involves wrapping a sapling in a branch of a mature tree to trick it into producing seed in less than a year as opposed to 20 years in a natural environment. This radically reduces the amount of time it takes to evolve more effective variants.

The forestry industry's impact on sustainability goals and net-zero targets is significant. Embracing timber as a primary construction material can play a crucial role in achieving a more sustainable future.

Host Over 20 Companies For A Factory Tour

January 20, 2026
We were delighted to host over 20 companies for a factory tour, discussion on exporting with Gareth Sherry of IWIN , and for a presentation + meet and greet with John Kiely Limerick hurling manager. Congratulations to our team for putting this together. Thank you to all of our visitors and contributors. We look forward to further progression on export cluster discussions over the coming weeks and months. Carnehill Joinery Ltd , Carroll Joinery Ltd , Woodfit - Joinery and Acoustics , Truwood Ltd. , Topform Ltd , Timeless Sash Windows , Western Postform Limited , MFM Joinery , GEM Joinery , W.Howard Kildare , Mivan Ltd , Simon O'Keeffe Pembroke Alliance , Vision Creative Studios , Loughnanes Joinery , Canavan Joinery Services Ltd , Tretzo Aidan McKenna

(NBMDA) Distributors’ Event

By Gareth Sherry • January 20, 2026
What an amazing week we had in Chicago! Myself, Eoin Ryan from The Galtee Group , and Damian Woods from W.Howard 'The MDF Specialists'​ attended the North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) distributors’ event, with over 1,000 delegates present. I had the privilege to do a presentation on behalf of the Irish Wood & Interiors Network ( IWIN ), showcasing the expertise and capabilities of our member companies. I also shared our collaboration with Cieblink , who are launching a Product Information Management (PIM) software we are starting to implement in the network. It was a brilliant opportunity to connect with dozens of prospective buyers, build key relationships, and generate leads for future business. We were lucky to be hosted by industry experts Freya Hannah (Cieblink) and David Smith from The David Smith Group, who introduced us to many of the top buyers/distributors in the US and Canadian markets. The event was packed with key figures from the North American and Canadian building materials supply industry, particularly woodworking products and sheet materials—a perfect fit for our network. We also had some great experiences exploring Chicago, including seeing 9-time Grammy winner, Buddy Guy, perform live—an unforgettable night! We toured the city and had a productive meeting with David O'Flaherty of Enterprise Ireland USA , who shared that Chicago is home to 200,000 Irish diaspora, 25,000 of whom are in construction—highlighting the strong cultural ties and opportunities for Irish suppliers in this market. The US is open for business—with trade from China down, buyers are actively looking for alternatives. For Irish companies ready to supply, there’s a real chance to make an impact. It was a smashing week, and we’re excited for what’s ahead! Thank you to Frederic Pare and Freya Hannah for the invitation to the event, and to Michael Wilbur for hosting such an excellent gathering.