Obelisk have the solution

Cavan-based company Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions are leading specialists in sports lighting. Obelisk technical director Colm Murphy provides us with a low-down on what the company has to offer.

While floodlighting has been part and parcel of a number of sports in this country for many years, it is only now that the GAA is starting to benefit from the advantages it can provide.

Floodlit games have become quite common in many counties and it seems only a matter of time before some National League and possibly Championship matches will be played under lights. More and more clubs are discovering that floodlighting facilities are within their budget and one company that offers a top quality product, at a competitive rate, is Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions.

Based in Cavan town, Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions has specialised in the design and manufacture of systems for lighting sports fields since 1996. The company covers a range of sports from Gaelic football to hurling to soccer to rugby, and also provides a wide range of lighting levels from training to match play to televised standards.

“Sports lighting has really taken off in the GAA and we are leading specialists in that area,” says Colm Murphy, technical director of Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions.

“It’s a growing market and we can offer the best system at an excellent price. No matter what type of lighting a club or county board is looking for, we can provide it,” he adds.

Obelisk offers innovative systems, a comprehensive package of services and also boasts a broad experience in this field. Offering solutions for both permanent and temporary lighting needs, the company has attained first-hand knowledge of lighting issues that affect participants, spectators and television.

From its Cavan base, Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions has a national reach and has already installed a number of successful lighting project systems in different parts of the country.

One of the first GAA-related sports lighting projects Obelisk carried out was at the Simonstown Gaels club in Navan, Co. Meath in early 1999. Since then, Simonstown has become one of the busiest venues in Leinster, staging many floodlit matches each year. For the past two years, the club has staged a successful inter-county floodlit tournament over the winter months and also played host to the O’Byrne Cup meeting with Meath and Longford last November - the first floodlit game to be staged under the auspices of any provincial council.

Obelisk have completed numerous projects since then, including that at Kingscourt in Co. Cavan. As was the case with Simonstown, Phillips Lighting was installed.
“The enquires started to come in from the GAA clubs after we completed the job at Simonstown,” Murphy reveals.

“Our most recent project was at Kingscourt which we would regard as being one of the best floodlit venues in the country.

Obelisk’s services consist of a full turnkey package, which includes solution design, foundation installation, duct installation, structure supply and erection, floodlight installation and alignment as well as full project management.

The company supplies floodlight support structures to any required height with loading and configuration also included. Accessories include lighting fixtures, switch gear, control gear and cabling.
Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions is a subsidary of Obelisk Communications which employs 100 staff overall. As already mentioned, Obelisk’s head office is in Cavan but it also has project offices in Cork, Belfast, Dublin and Galway.

Specialising in providing towers, masts and pylons to the telecommunications sector, Obelisk Communications has been honoured at local, national and international level. In 1999, the company was runner-up in the Cavan County Enterprise Awards. The following year, Obelisk won both the Cavan County Enterprise and National Enterprise awards. In 2001, the company represented Ireland in the World Young Business Achievers competition in Warsaw, Poland, and came away with two awards.
As well as being technical director, Colm Murphy is joint-proprietor of the company along with Padraig Brady. Both men have known each other since their school days in Co. Longford.

“We both attended Moyne Community School and played football for Dromard up through the ranks. I emigrated to London in 1989 and Padraig headed over at around the same time.

“While in London, I played for St. Teresa’s for a while. We both returned to Ireland in 1996 and decided to set up Obelisk Communications together,” Colm explains.

Both Colm and Padraig have remained keen supporters of Dromard and took great delight from seeing them defeat Abbeylara in the Longford senior championship final in 1999. Dromard have consolidated their position as one of the top teams in the midland county by winning the All-County League Division 1 title in 2000 and the Leader Cup last year.

“Dromard wouldn’t have that much of a tradition but they have become very strong over the past few years. They were one of the favourites for the county championship last year but had to be content with the Leader Cup.

“Denis Connerton was in charge of the team for the past few years but he has gone on to bigger things by taking over the county team. But hopefully, the lads can continue to make progress without him,” Murphy concludes.

For further information, contact Colm Murphy/Declan Gaffney at Obelisk Sports Lighting Solutions, Enterprise Centre, Cavan, Co. Cavan.
Telephone: 049 4371044
Fax: 049 4371045
Email: info@obeliskcoms.com