Carrickmacross located less than an hour from Dublin is the main town in the south of the county. Located 23km west of Dundalk, the town has a large rural hinterland and has expanded greatly over the past 25 years doubling its population to more than 6,000. Originally a market town, characterised by its long wide street with a number of significant historical buildings, significant residential and commercial developments in the 2000’s underpinned the growth of the town as a commuter base and commercial centre.
The industrial base of the town is grounded in long established manufacturing firms such as Gernord Ltd. and Rye Valley Foods (part of the Kerry Group). Newbaze, a Chinese-owned infant nuttition manufacturer, established its Irish operations in Carrickmacross in 2020 and Lough Egish Food Park, with over 600 employees, is located 12km from the town. With an existing workforce of 50,000 within 30 minutes drivetime and a population of almost 2 million residents within 60 minutes drivetime of the town.
Access
With the town’s strategic location along the N2 Dublin-Derry national road and proximity to the East Coast Corridor, M1 motorway, Dundalk, Newry and Dublin, the town has attracted significant inward investment resulting in a buoyant local economy, strong growth and demand for residential and retail development.
Journey times to airports / ports (mins)
| Dublin Airport | Belfast Int. Airport | Dundalk Port | Drogheda Port | Dublin Port | Warrenpoint Port | |
| Carrickmacross to | 64 | 112 | 35 | 41 | 72 | 68 |
Business Space
The C:TEK Building in Carrickmacross offers office and workspace units providing outstanding opportunity to locate your business. Carrickmacross has 64 hectares of lands zoned Industry & Employment. Significant land parcels are included to the north east and south east of the town along the bypass which facilitates easy access on to the national road network. A nine-hectare serviced industrial park at the Convent Lands and a new has good access links to the national road network. Other commercial opportunities are available throughout the town.
The Nexus N2 Business Park is an exciting new 8 ha development offering multi-sized units in a private managed environment with direct access to the N2 Dublin-Derry Road. With development due for completion in late 2020, phase 1 if the Nexus offers five units ranging from 450 sqm to 7,000sqm built to the highest standards to suit any business needs in an ideal location. For more information see: http://nexus-n2.ie/
Utilities
Carrickmacross is well served with high speed broadband, with Eir and Vodaphone providing fibre direct and the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), serviced by enet extends throughout the town.
Carrickmacross has ample provision for water supply and treatment. The town’s current demand for drinking water is 1,400 m³/day with a treatment capacity of 3,200 m³/day, whilst the town’s wastewater treatment plant has a plant design of 12,150 population equivalent (P.E.) and is currently catering for 11,500 P.E.
Education and Skills
The town and surrounding area is well served by a network of pre-school and primary schools and has three secondary schools located within the town offering a high quality education. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) the third level institution for the region is located half an hour’s drive from Carrickmacross. The town is also accessible to a range of other third level institutions, both north and south of the border.
Recreation
Carrickmacross hosts two hotels (Nuremore and Shirley Arms) with both offering conferencing facilities and one offering full golfing and leisure centre facilities.
The Carrickmacross Workhouse resource centre also offers conference and training facilities. A range of support businesses are provided within the town including financial, legal and IT. And a strong offline and online shopping base.
Carrickmacross town and surrounding area offers a range of day and evening activities with two 18 hole golf courses, a community leisure centre, GAA, Tennis and Soccer clubs. The town has a strong sense of community. The pride and volunteerism of the Carrickmacross people is demonstrated in its achievements in the Tidy Towns competition and in the annual Carrickmacross Festival providing great family fun for the June bank holiday weekend. Festivals in Carrickmacross include the Annual Carrickmacross Festival, Carrickmacross Arts Festival, Féile Patrick Byrne, Vintage Festivals, Féile Samhain.
In terms of tourism, the newly opened Patrick Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen is the main attraction to the region, drawing on an international audience, with associated festivals and activities. The town centre is home to the newly refurbished Lace Gallery and Craft Shop in the Market House and the Workhouse Experience.