Philip Ireland Tyres Ltd is the go-to destination for tyres and repairs in Kilkenny. Catering for every aspect of the tyre industry, the well-known depot stocks a wide range of brands to suit every budget for cars, vans, 4x4s, trucks, agri and earth-movers.
These are exciting times for the Cillín Hill-based company which plans to triple the size of its state-of-the-art depot to 8,500 sq. ft. in the coming months and to add another van to its 24-hour callout service. Managing director Philip Ireland is also celebrating 30 years in the trade, almost half of which has been spent out on his own.
“I come from a family of 14 in Danesfort and have been at this game since 1994. I set up this business in 2010 and it has gone from strength to strength ever since,” he explains.
“We have a big extension happening soon which will allow us to expand and to put an extra van on the road. We’re always investing in new equipment and looking at ways to improve our service. We have a wealth of knowledge in the industry and have a large customer-base which continues to grow. We’d be nothing without our customers or our fantastic team who always go the extra mile for our valued clients.
“We’re all about quality, value-for-money and customer service.”
Over the past 14 years, Philip Ireland Tyres has established itself as the number one name for tyres, tractor wheel alignment, 4-wheel alignment, fast puncture repairs and tracking in the region. In addition, the company provides a fast and reliable 24-hour breakdown service for all vehicles. It has three fully-kitted vans dedicated to this which are able to carry out repairs onsite or on the roadside.
The Kilkenny city depot has everything Philip and his 12-strong team need to repair and replace tyres. Philip Ireland Tyres offers free and impartial advice on the best quality tyres to suit your needs and budgets. It represents all the leading brands, including BKT Agrimax, Alliance and Ascenso for the agri sector and Bridgestone, Firestone and Continental for cars, and Hankook for trucks. The company’s main suppliers are Agrigear, Mileage Tyres, Kevin Burke Tyres, Martin Corley Tyres, Tractamotors Tyres, TyreCall Ireland and Continental (direct).
“We pride ourselves on our quality products and unrivalled service. Our primary concern, however, is the safety of our customers, hence the importance of choosing the right tyre to suit your vehicle and the way you drive it,” Philip says.
When it comes to agricultural tyres, BKT Agrimax and Alliance are the big sellers. Agrimax Force, the high-end product of BKT, is a radial tyre specially designed for soil tillage, haulage and harvesting applications with high-power tractors and harvesters, ensuring top performance and efficiency. Thanks to its IF technology, this tyre can carry heavy loads with a lower inflation pressure compared to the standard tyre, thus reducing soil compaction.
Owned by Yokohama, Alliance boasts a comprehensive line-up of crossply and radial tyres for tractors, harvesters and farm machinery. The brand is a pioneer and leading player in the tractor radial tyre segment where it is popular with OEMs and the aftermarket.
“The agri sector is a huge part of our business. We’re located beside Kilkenny Mart which a lot of customers would frequent. Agri accounts for 40% with the other 60% split evenly between trucks and cars,” the Kilkenny man says.
Philip’s tractor wheel alignment service is always in high demand. “It saves on 20-30% of your tyre wear which, of course, saves on fuel too. I bought a system for it from Tech Plus in 2020 and haven’t looked back since.
“We regularly bring our tractor wheel alignment service direct to our customers across Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Tipperary and Laois. It usually takes half an hour per tractor and is getting more and more popular through word of mouth.”
Philip Ireland Tyres has built up an impressive client-base in the agri, plant hire and haulage sectors which includes John Joe Burke Agri Services, Noel Delaney Agri Services, Dunphy’s Agricultural Contractors, Cotterell Agri, Brian Farrell Agri, Horizon Plant, Murphy, Brennan Agri, TFM (Ballycallan), Murphy Machinery, Gordon Hegarty & Sons, Dairy Direct, Morrissey Fencing, Suir Plant Ltd, Tommy Cody Plant Hire, Wesley Smith Agri, Micheál Hackett Transport, Ballyjohnboy Transport, Hermitage Technology, Bennettsbridge Limestone, Healy Haulage, Maguire Haulage, Alan Eager Transport, GRT Hire, Connolly Redmills, Callan Co-Op, Tirlán, Bob Lanigan Transport, Glás Civil Engineering and Hennessy Agri Contractors.
Other loyal customers include Hughes Agri Contractors, Jim Fogarty Well Drilling, Hughes Agricultural & Farming, Freshford Garages, Keogh Commercials, FRS (Kilkenny), LC Tyres, JR Auto Solutions and Liam Donoghue Heavy Haulage.
As Philip Ireland Tyres continues to grow and prosper, its affable 49-year-old owner would like to take this opportunity to thank his customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as his dedicated team of tyre fitters and admin staff for their hard work and expertise. He is also grateful for the support he receives from his wife Ann-Marie and children Orla (eight) and Shane (who turns four in June).
Philip Ireland Tyres Ltd
Unit 07A,
Cillín Hill,
Kilkenny, R95 RYC1
Telephone: 056 779 0857
Mobile: 086 824 9804
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 12 No 2, July/August 2024
