All eyes on Carlow

The Sunday Business PostDecember 3, 201728 Focus On

The reputation of the Institute of Tech-nology Carlow has been steadily grow-ing domestically and internationally since it first opened its doors back in 1970 and it now stands on the verge of a new dawning. All in all, the current student body numbers around 7,500 in the current academic year – that’s a massive 44 per cent increase in total enrolments compared with 2011/12.

Over 50,000 graduates have passed through this rapidly evolving institute – some collecting their hard-earned awards in far-flung locations.

Indeed each year, around 40 students from Malaysia enrol to study aerospace en-gineering at the institute. So popular has the course and college become that every year, a conferring ceremony is held for graduates in Kuala Lumpur.

The annual conferring in Malaysia took place on Sat-urday, November 25, and was attended by local university presidents and prominent business leaders. The guest

speaker was Ambassador Ea-mon Hickey, Irish ambassador to Malaysia.

“At the moment we have 88 different nationalities on campus and we have 47 for-mal agreements with inter-national bodies and centres of education through which students come to Carlow. In-deed, we recently added five new partnerships to that list so we hope to boost our in-ternational student population in the years to come,” said Dr Patricia Mulcahy, the presi-dent of IT Carlow.

Not surprisingly, the stron-gest ambassadors for the ed-

ucational institute abroad are often those students who have completed their studies in Carlow.

“When they return home and tell others of our dynamic approach to learning, about the beauty and friendliness of Carlow and about how sup-portive fellow students and our staff here can be, others want to come too,” said Dr Mulcahy.

More than 500 international students are enrolled at the Institute of Technology Carlow this year. These students spend an average of €10,000 on ac-commodation and other living costs in Carlow, contributing over €5 million annually to the local economy. And it is es-timated that each internation-al student has three visitors who come to Carlow during each year of study, spending over €1 million locally.

Additionally, the location of the institute, set amid the stunning scenery of Carlow where the cost of living for students is so much less than in larger urban centres, is a major enticement for stu-dents – domestic and inter-

national. With campuses in Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow and collaborative programme provision with the Irish De-fence Forces in Kildare and An Cosán in Dublin, as well as extended campus provi-sion in the Irish Aviation and Emergency Services sectors in Dublin and Shannon, the In-stitute of Carlow has become a multi-campus organisation. And it’s growing – with the aim of becoming Ireland’s leading technological uni-versity.

“We will have four new buildings in the next four years, including a 30-acre sports campus in Carlow. Also, we have secured funding to purchase 30 acres on which to develop a new purpose-built campus on a site in Wexford,” said Dr Mulcahy.

In October 2017, govern-ment funding was also an-nounced for a major capital project for the institute for an Advanced Science and Technology building. The investment will underpin current provision in science and health and will allow the institute expand further across

several key areas including biopharma, medtech, agri-food and health sciences. And key to the institute’s vision, for both itself and its students, is a practice of offering so much more than just academic in-struction.

“The institute is committed to lifelong learning, equity of access, transfer and progres-sion to ensure a significant, sustainable and socially re-sponsible contribution to our regions, Ireland and the world,” said its president.

And its reach well beyond county and provincial bounds and across the world is clearly visible in the number of grad-

uates working in the world’s leading tech companies and other sectors including fin-tech, ICT and the area of health and ageing. A qualification from Carlow is a door-opener, no matter where graduates go.

Indeed, the employment rate for graduates from In-stitute of Technology Carlow is 93 per cent at graduation, rising further to 96 per cent within six months of grad-uation. This exceeds the na-tional average of 85 per cent for graduates. And with Brexit looming, it’s anticipated that higher educational facilities in Ireland, such as IT Carlow, could benefit.

Dr Mulcahy said: “Inter-national students, especially from across the rest of the Eu-ropean Union who want to study in an English-speaking setting, will inevitably find it easier and less expensive to do so in Ireland, as opposed to the UK. It’s important we are ready to take advantage of that and that investment in higher education continues so we can be as attractive as pos-sible to international students and their families.”

And EU membership con-tinues to assist IT Carlow. In-deed, EU funding was received recently for the €2.9 million BUCANIER project, working in

key growth sectors including food and drink, life sciences and renewable energy; the €3.7 million ReNu2Farm fo-cussed on the agritech and environmental sectors; and the €1 million Arts and Hu-manities Entrepreneurship project.

Ambitious, innovative and determined to tell the world of its many benefits, IT Car-low, the fourth largest of the 14 Institutes of Technology for learner enrolments, is an institute on the move. Little wonder then it’s become the institute of choice for so many – from Bagenalstown to Bangalore.

With increasing enrolments and an excellent postgraduation recruitment rate, the Institute of Technology Carlow is a destination institute for students at home and abroad, writes Graham Clifford

The Institute of Technology at Carlow is aiming to become Ireland’s leading technological university

With a strong strategic location, a thriving IT and local supports, County Carlow has lots on offer to attract a wide range of diverse industriesBY GRAHAM CLIFFORD

When it comes to becoming a hub for inno-vation, educa-tion, enterprise and business excellence, size really doesn’t matter. Just as Ireland has be-come a shining international example of how small can be better, more agile, and better connected, so too has County Carlow led the way in attracting a wide range of diverse industries to what is one of Ireland’s smaller but most progressive counties.

“One of our core strengths is our strong strategic loca-tion, we’re just an hour from Dublin, are connected to the mid-east and are at the gate-way to the South East,” said Kathleen Holohan, the chief executive of Carlow County Council.

And that positioning has attracted companies which want to develop a thriving business in close proximi-ty to Dublin, but with more competitive living costs for its employees and a slower pace of life. Strategically located on the M9 motorway, Carlow can offer the best of both worlds complete with a skilled and educated workforce, a lifestyle which is second to none and a network of local supports emanating from the Coun-ty Council, County Carlow Chamber and local business groups. And it should be noted that Carlow town is the eighth largest urban centre in the country – when you exclude the cities.

“One of those large compa-nies to have opted for Carlow is Unum, a US company which has based its headquarters in the county. It’s a fortune 500 insurance company and has established a strategic soft-

ware centre in Carlow, em-ploying around 150 people,” explains Holohan.

And the company has de-veloped a strong partnership with IT Carlow, including the sponsorship of the Unum Soft-ware Lab – a well-equipped study and lecturing space for students of the IT.

Indeed, the success of IT Carlow works as a major pull-factor for smaller, less established companies too. With its dedicated multimil-lion-euro research and in-novation centre, the institute can and has reached out to businesses wishing to take that next step in its evolution.

Developing a global foot-print and embracing innova-tion, Carlow is ploughing its own path astutely attracting tech companies to the county. The county is home to Net-watch – which also has offices in Boston and Britain. Design-ing new and cutting-edge se-curity systems, the tech com-pany was the first in Europe to combine specialist video processing technologies with

satellite communications to provide preventative, imme-diate and cost-effective pro-tection solutions for clients. It’s one of many tech compa-nies to have found a home in Carlow, where a strong con-nected ecosystem of business is fast developing.

Pharmaceutical compa-nies too have found Carlow the perfect location for their Irish and European opera-tions. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) is one of the largest employers in the county and is the second largest phar-maceutical company in the world. In Carlow the company has a state-of-the-art biolog-ics operation, a multimillion investment. At this facility, the company formulates and fills vaccines and biologic prod-ucts for patient’s use.

In other sectors too, from engineering to manufacturing and brewing to retail, Carlow has become ‘the place to be’.

International collaboration is also evident with Carlow’s other Institution of Higher Education, Carlow College, St Patrick’s, which specialises in the Arts, Social Care and Community Studies, with a number of international part-nerships in the US.

The management team in Carlow County Council, along with personnel in the coun-ty’s Local Enterprise Office, provide personal support and advice to new and established businesses considering locat-ing in the county or who are expanding, particularly in the area of planning, build-ing control and infrastructural requirements, working and guiding companies as they de-velop and grow. The team also work with the IDA and En-terprise Ireland, who support many companies throughout the county.

“For us the aim is to get the message out there that Car-low has it all when it comes to setting up a business base in Ireland,” said Holohan. “Whether it’s location, oppor-tunity, ambition, connectivity or infrastructure, the county is so well placed to deliver on all those needs and also we have a pool of skilled graduates eager to work in the county. Housing and childcare are less expen-sive and the quality of life can’t be beaten.”

And for those who take to the hillsides of Carlow for a first time, the sheer beauty of the county can be breath-taking. Now on the route of Ireland’s Ancient East, the area is attracting more tour-ists and, as a result, the ac-commodation and hospitality offerings are increasing across the county.

The council has invested significantly in improving the options available to tour-ists such as VISUAL and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow, a state-of-the-art County Museum and devel-opments such as Duckett’s Grove and Oak Park Forest Park to name but a few. Fund-ing under town and village improvement schemes has also added to the quaintness of Carlow’s tourism infrastruc-ture. Of course, there are more hurdles to overcome.

“We’re always striving to improve our county, to show-case it further. We hope the region will achieve university status and that our efforts to attract more investment and new business will be success-ful,” says Kathleen Holohan.

Together as a close-knit but outward-looking coun-ty, those aims will surely be met as Carlow continues to punch above its weight and win admirers across the globe.

The county that offers the best of both worlds

Kathleen Holohan, the chief executive of Carlow County Council

Any whiskey connoisseur will tell you that the splendour of the drink is not only in its taste but in the story behind it. And that’s why Walsh Whiskey Distillery has flourished. It combines class, culture and craft in an idyllic location, producing award-winning whiskeys which are a hit now in 45 countries worldwide.

Established in 1999 by Ber-nard and Rosemary Walsh and located in Ireland’s Ancient East region on the 18th cen-tury Royal Oak estate, Walsh Whiskey Distillery is a leading producer of premium and su-per-premium, triple-distilled, craft, Irish whiskeys – Writers Tears and The Irishman.

The distillery is set deep in the heart of barley-growing country, directly over the Bar-row Valley Aquifer in Coun-ty Carlow and framed by 200-year-old mighty oaks on the banks of the River Barrow.

“This area is known as the barley basket of Ireland,” said Bernard Walsh.

He told The Sunday Business Post. “In terms of locations, we really couldn’t have dis-covered better than Royal Oak. We are local ourselves and have everything we need here to produce world-class whiskey, from the Barrow’s river water for cooling and the Barrow Valley Aquifer water for use in the whiskey itself, barley, of course, and our malted barley comes from just 20 miles away.”

Walsh Distillery produces all three forms of Irish whis-key – pot still, malt and grain – from its two production lines, pot stills and column stills, in the one still house. The manually operated distillery has the capacity to produce eight million bottles of whis-key annually. Bernard Walsh explained why using manual methods of production is so important.

“In the 1800s in Ireland, whiskey production was at its height. The quality was ex-

ceptional and whiskey was produced by hand in small batches. So when we were deciding how we wanted our distillery to run and our whis-keys to taste, we committed to using many of those same tried and trusted practices. So, you won’t find anyone making whiskey from here by sitting behind a computer. It’s a small but significant point of differ-ence between us and other large distilleries.

“Another point of differ-ence is the way we have de-signed the distillery so that our visitors can witness and learn about every step of the process in the heart of the distillery from the distillers themselves.”

Led by founder Bernard Walsh and with a strong board of industry veterans, the com-pany has built a portfolio of international award-winning drinks brands.

“Currently all but 5 per cent of our products are exported. North America makes up 35 per cent of our market and we’re seeing exceptional growth to places like Russia and Eastern Europe,” said Bernard.

Walsh’s drinks brands

include a range of ten Irish whiskeys under Writers Tears and The Irishman brands, The Hot Irishman – Irish coffee and The Irishman – Irish cream liqueur.

Demand for the critically acclaimed Writers Tears and The Irishman brands currently exceeds available supply in the 45 countries they’re distribut-ed to. Along the way, helping hands have played their part in making this unique distillery a reality.

Bernard said: “Once we found this stunning site, we then had to convince Carlow County Council to allow us build and run a distillery here. Thankfully they shared our vision and could see what we were trying to achieve. That support has been essential and shows that by working together, everyone benefits.”

Visitors to the distillery can take a tour of the facili-ty, the grounds and enjoy the splendour of the beautiful 262-year-old Holloden House.

“Our aim is to develop the whiskey tourism sector in Carlow and the general region. We’re part of the emerging Irish Whiskey Distillery Trail in the South East and are so

excited about its growth. This entire sector is very up and coming. Of course, we’re lo-cated just an hour from Dublin airport just off the M9 with bus services stopping outside our gate and Bagenalstown train station nearby, so we are easy to reach. We expect that even more tourists will come and see us in 2018 as awareness of what we have to offer grows,” said Bernard Walsh.

And as the business ma-tures, much like the whiskey in its barrels, plans are in place to facilitate expansion.

Having received planning permission, the company will be building a new matura-tion warehouse in the spring for completion in late 2018. Though its production pro-cesses avoid the interference of technology, to guarantee authenticity, the structure of the company is very much fo-cused on innovation, progress and market development.

Combining the old with the new in a stunning setting, Walsh Whiskey Distillery is doing so much to sell Carlow to the world. And with one sip an appreciation of its superi-or quality products is all but guaranteed.

Walsh Whiskey Distillery’s story of world-class success

Bernard Walsh founded Walsh Whiskey Distillery with his wife Rosemary in 1999

IT Carlow: an institute on the move

Dr Patricia Mulcahy, president of IT Carlow