Quigleys

Established by Michael Quigley in 1890, this is the original premises of the family-owned bakery that is now run by his great-great grandson John and his wife Margaret.

The business has grown a bit since John and Margaret O'Connor took it over with four employees in the 1980's. Now they have shops and cafés in 15 locations, including Athlone, Tullamore, Roscrea and Carlow, and over 150 employees - and Margaret's achievements in growing the business were recognised by the national title of Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2012 Image Magazine Businesswoman of the Year awards, which are supported by Enterprise Ireland and RTE. 

But the family business ethos hasn't changed and the craft bakery and food kitchen in at Lisbunny Business Park in Nenagh supplies all of the outlets with their freshly made food every day.

Everything, including their savouries, is made on site and they bake over 20 types of bread, including many traditional loaves, and a whole range of cakes which are available to order for special occasions as well as being sold in the shops and cafés.

While the shops have seen a big increase in numbers, introducing the cafés was a change of direction and it has proved a very popular one, with customers enjoying the friendly, relaxed ambience and comfortable, well-designed modern surroundings  - and the savoury fare is just as much in demand as their more traditional line, the delicious baked goods.