Timeless Sash Windows reopening

The Callaghan family pictured at the official re-opening (from left): Pearse, Maureen, Gerry, Barry, Sadie, Harry, Gillian Callaghan with Christine Bowler

The official reopening of Timeless Sash Windows in Trim was more than a ribbon-cutting ceremony – it was a powerful celebration of resilience, hard work, and innovative thinking from the Callaghan family, their management team, and staff.

Three years ago, the company’s 11,000 sq ft joinery was destroyed in a devastating fire, wiping out nearly five decades of craft and effort. Yet, from those ashes, the family and workforce chose not just to rebuild but to reimagine the future of the business. Today, the new facility stands larger, greener, and more advanced, setting a new benchmark for sustainable manufacturing in Ireland’s joinery sector.

The reopening was attended by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, Deputy John Guirke, Senator Linda Nelson Murray, and councillors Aisling Dempsey, Joe Fox, and Ronan Moore, marking the occasion as not only a family milestone but also a community celebration

Managing Director Barry Callaghan summed up the spirit of the occasion: “Our team could have seen the fire as the end of our story. Instead, we chose to see it as the beginning of something bigger, a chance to rebuild stronger, greener, and better than before.”

Barry recalls the days after the fire as a time of resolve. “I won’t lie, it did cross our mind (not to continue) for probably 20-30 minutes the following morning, but after that 30 minutes, we discussed our options and felt laying down certainly wasn’t going to be one of them.

“We were going to regroup and move forward and see where that took us. It’s not really in our nature to lay down and we’re used to getting bangs over the years, but that’s life, and what doesn’t kill you makes us stronger.”

The contribution of long-serving staff was central to the celebration. Some have been with Timeless Sash for over 30 years, and Barry was quick to acknowledge their loyalty. “There’s an obligation to them, an obligation to our suppliers, an obligation to our customers, but particularly our staff. When I saw what happened the next morning (after the fire), guys wading through the ashes trying to find out what’s good, what’s not good, not knowing if they had a job the next week, not asking if they had a job the next week, just the generosity of our staff and the generosity of spirit. It was uplifting, and our minds were made up at that point to move on, we were only going to go one way here.”

The reopening also recognised the vital support of the wider community. “We had super support from our neighbours, the local community, our suppliers, competitors, and Meath County Council, Trim council here. Just the willingness to help out in any way they could. Absolutely exceptional. I won’t forget that and it’s very much in the front of my mind today.”

The state-of-the-art new factory is itself a testament to innovation, designed not only to replace what was lost but to lead the industry into a more sustainable future.

“We hope to create a net zero manufacturing premises with the new facility as a leader for sustainable manufacturing. We have solar power, with 113kW of PV panels across the roof generating clean renewable energy, circular heating, with a biomass burner turning timber waste into heat and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and new machinery, unique in Ireland, to enhance precision, efficiency, and quality,” Barry explained.

For Gerry and Maureen Callaghan, who founded the company in 1973, the reopening was deeply personal. Gerry reflected: “It’s a brilliant day, to be in this position now after the fire and a recession before that. To see what Barry and Pearse have done, it’s amazing and I can’t thank them enough.”

Maureen remembered the morning after the blaze and the determination that set the course forward: “It was so devastating that night of the fire. So many of the workers were stood here watching the place going up in flames. And we met in our house the next day and Barry said: ‘We have to have a short term, medium term and a long term plan’. And he was ready for moving on.

We got great support from the other joiners who offered premises and the staff were brilliant, like they all came in. They worked really hard, cleaning up, tidying up, trying to salvage anything that was salvageable. And so to go from there to here is just incredible.”

The reopening was attended by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, Deputy John Guirke, Senator Linda Nelson Murray, and councillors Aisling Dempsey, Joe Fox, and Ronan Moore, marking the occasion as not only a family milestone but also a community celebration.

From the devastation of 2022 to the triumph of 2025, the official reopening of Timeless Sash Windows is proof of what resilience, hard work, and innovation can achieve.

As Barry Callaghan reflected, the fire could have been the end of the story. Instead, it has become the foundation for a new chapter – one that looks to the future with confidence, growth, and ambition.

www.timelesssashwindows.ie