The specialist

General Woodworking is a specialist in the field of architectural joinery and furniture. It¹s hardly a surprise then that the company is playing a major part in the historical redevelopment of Croke Park.

In September 1993, Derry defeated Cork in the All-Ireland senior football championship final to capture the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time. It was an historic day in the annals of the GAA and tens of thousands of Oak Leaf supporters celebrated in Croke Park like never before.

Late that evening, they left the famous Jones Road venue behind them and headed home, taking their time along the N1 and N2, savouring every second of this sweet success.

Croke Park would never see a day like this again. The very next day, the heavy machinery came in and started to remove the old Cusack Stand. It was the beginning of a complete makeover which would transform Croker into a phenomenal stadium, one of the finest anywhere.

The old Croke Park was already a thing of the past. The Gaelic Athletic Association was moving on purposefully.

The GAA is not moving with the times; it is moving ahead of them, leading the way, breaking new ground all the time. The spectacular redevelopment of the Association’s home is a poignant point in case.

On its completion, Croke Park will be one of the finest stadia not just in Europe but anywhere in the world. Its status will be a testament not just to the exceptional foresight and vision of the GAA but also to the exemplary craftsmanship invested in the standard-setting edifice.

Throughout the entire project, GAA chiefs and the main contractor alike have enlisted the services of only the finest architects, designers and general tradesmen. Only the very best have been invited to contribute, which is exactly why the Association has placed its faith in the expert team at General Woodworking.

Using unparalleled expertise and a personal touch, the Glasnevin-headquartered company provides a high quality bespoke architectural joinery and furniture service. From conception to completion, all the furniture and fittings are lovingly handcrafted to the highest possible standards.

The unique, skilled service provided by General Woodworking is an exclusive craft, with painstaking attention to detail invested in each and every job. No wonder the company’s reputation precedes them!
Chris Foley is MD of General Woodworking. He prides himself on the tender loving care applied to each job and stresses that the meticulous approach of all his specialist joiners is guaranteed. Quite simply, this is why General Woodworking is in a class of its own.

The company is based at 69 Moyle Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11. It trades as General Woodworking and is registered under the name of Pandor Holdings Ltd.

The roots of General Woodworking go back to 1960 when the company was established by the current MD’s father, Christopher Foley.

The company was set up with the express purpose of providing a specialist service to the general woodworking trade and its clearly-defined Mission Statement has altered very little during the intervening 40 years or so.

General Woodworking produces bespoke architectural joinery and furniture. Everything is tailormade to precise specifications to meet the exact parameters of each job. Each finished product is an original.
For the past eight years, the company has been playing its part in the redevelopment of Croke Park.

This is certainly a prestigious and high-profile job (as are most of those tackled by General Woodworking who recently finished a superb £1.7m complete fit-out on the new Four Seasons Hotel) and has been tackled with the company’s trademark attention to every detail, no matter how minuscule.
How was this contract secured? “Firstly, we did the first phase, which was the new Cusack Stand, a contract we secured in a competitive tender. For that, we completed a fit-out of the first 34 corporate boxes in 1995. We also fitted

the specialist bars on the premium level, all using specialist furniture which is ingeniously designed by Gilroy McMahon.

“We then successfully tendered for the second phase which is the Canal End and we’re hoping to be given the Hogan Stand contract as an extension of that one. We have finished work on the Canal End at this point and are waiting to discuss details of the Hogan Stand with the contractors and planners”
The casework in the corporate boxes included the fitting of wardrobes and minimalist storage and serving elements.

The company also worked in the dressing rooms, providing seating, lockers and storage units, all custom-made to the highest standards.

All the woods used are sourced through Irish companies; most are produced here in Ireland. All the labour is Irish also.

Croke Park and General Woodworking have a lot in common. Both are unique; both provide a unique service; both are modern-day Irish success stories. Most pertinently of all, both stand alone as shining examples of the high standards of excellence being reached by the Irish in 2001.

If we are to speak of Croke Park in reverent tones, hailing it as a modern phenomenon, then we should speak equally highly of the team at General Woodworking whose architectural joinery is, like the stadium, truly a work of art.