Sadly, Naas Farm Machinery’s popular founder George Delahunt passed away in December, 2021 but – with George’s sons Donal and Gary having taken over the running of the long-established agri dealership – it’s very much business as usual at Kildare’s premier supplier of new and used farm machinery. We touched base with Donal to get an update on this industry-leading operation, which is renowned for delivering exceptional products and unrivalled service levels.
Since its inception in 1986, Naas Farm Machinery has forced a stellar reputation as one of Leinster’s leading suppliers of high-quality, value-added new and used tractors and agricultural machinery, providing unbeatable products and customer service to farmers across a wide catchment area comprising Kildare, neighbouring counties and sometimes beyond.
For three-and-a-half decades, the business was built upon the vision, hard work, integrity, knowledge and dependability of founder George Delahunt, who always went out of his way to offer customers products and service that they could rely upon. This has resulted in particularly high levels of customer loyalty, while Naas Farm Machinery’s outstanding reputation for excellence continues to spread through positive word of mouth.
Although George is sadly no longer with us, the Kildare machinery dealer leaves behind him a proud legacy and his sons, Donal and Gary, are determined to continue to instil into the family business the values and ethos upon which the founder developed his unrivalled reputation. In short, it’s business as usual at Naas Farm Machinery and the customer is still very much king!
“The main message we are trying to reinforce at the moment is that we are still here and very much open for business,” Donal confirms. “We will continue to reach the same high standards that George introduced into the business. Dad would have been old-fashioned in the way he did business and he had an old-school approach. Central to that was looking after each and every customer. Myself and Gary aspire towards emulating that.
“We are one of the longest-established farm machinery dealers in the region and we are not going anywhere. We’ll continue where George started off and will try to improve. Dad started off from scratch, when he was a very young man, and Naas Farm Machinery has been around for a long time already. He initially started out in a partnership with Gerry Daly, who he bought out after a couple of years, before continuing on by himself and building the business up gradually.
“He always sold quality machines and gave a good back-up service. The location is very good, too, close to the main road and – with a lot of passers-by calling in – it quickly became one of the busiest dealers in the region, stocking a comprehensive variety of machines covering people’s every need. When you look after customers, they tend to come back and we benefit from a large amount of repeat business. Indeed, we have a lot of customers today who have been with us since Day One, which is testimony to George and the relationships he built up. To be able to hold onto customers for the guts of 40 years speaks for itself, really.”
Holding main dealerships for Deutz, Kuhn, Fleming, Hardi, Twose and Wessex, Naas Farm Machinery covers everything from tractors, balers, trailers, agitators, mowers, spreaders, harrows, bale handlers, tankers, sprayers, ploughs, scrapers, toppers, splitters, hedge cutters, land levellers, grabs, buckets, etc., with a massive stock of new and used machinery available as well as a vast selection of parts.
“We cater for every requirement from the small farmer to the large contractor,” Donal continues. “As well as the dealerships mentioned, we also sell other brands and have a huge stock of second-hand machinery as we’re always taking in quality trade-ins.”
Covering all of County Kildare as well as large swathes of west Wicklow, North Carlow, Laois and the midlands and into South Meath, Naas Farm Machinery boasts the inherent values of a traditional family business, with the emphasis very much on a providing a personal touch and the keenest attention to detail.
“Myself and Gary have been involved quite a lot down through the years,” Donal notes. “I’ve become more and more involved over the last four or five years, while Gary has returned home from London, where he worked as a physio. Our brother, Niall, also helps out with accounts and paperwork, while we have three sisters and they are also involved in the business. All of us have always had a keen interest in it and now we hope to take the business on to the next level.
“There’s a strong sense of family here amongst the staff and we still have some members of staff on the team since Day One. Eugene, for example, is our workshop manager and he served his apprenticeship here over 30 years ago. He has served his time here and has been amazing. He has been instrumental in keeping the business going. We tend to have a small turnover of staff. Most of them are here long term and there’s never any bad blood or a bad word spoken in the unlikely event that somebody does decide to move on. They’re still part of the family and will still drop in for a cup of tea and a chat when they’re passing.
“Eddie Murphy is in the stores and Willie Murray looks after the books. James Darker is our apprentice mechanic and, even though he’s very young, he’s already better than some mechanics with years of experience. I’d describe him as an old head on young shoulders. We’re very busy at the moment and are on the look-out for new people to join the team. Like everybody else, we’re searching for a new mechanic as we speak.
“I’m only 25 myself and wouldn’t have the experience of some of the other lads. I’m figuring it out as I go and learning all the time. The older lads have the experience and they are the ones who are steering us in the right direction. They’ve all been great over the years and during these recent difficult months – it’s like a family here, really, not just a business.”
What has been the secret of Naas Farm Machinery’s success over the decades? “We source and supply high-quality machines,” Donal replies. “Since we are a family business, we are strong on honesty and loyalty, while service has always been a big priority. We’re always on the other end of the phone and we’ve always provided the highest standards when it comes to customer care. When discussing any of the machines with farmers, we are open and honest and fair. We’ll tell them the truth no matter what.
“As well as farm machinery and tools, we have very large stores covering everything and they have come along in leaps and bounds in the last few years, with everything from landscaping to the hobby farmer to the man living in a housing estate who just wants to tidy up around his property. We’re competing with garden centres in that respect.
“All our new tractors and grass care equipment comes with a number of options and variations and we also stock parts for all brands of tractors. We’ve been working hard on modernising and streamlining the business and have launched a new website, naasfarmmachinery.com, to complement our social media presence, while we also advertise through DoneDeal and The Farmer’s Journal. Footfall is increasing all the time and we’re very excited about the future.”
The more things change, the more they stay the same! The late George Delahunt sowed the seeds and, some 36 years on from its genesis, Naas Farm Machinery continues to go from strength to strength under the watchful eyes of the founder’s children.
Naas Farm Machinery,
Maudlins Industrial Estate,
Monread Road,
Naas,
County Kildare.
Tel: 045 876710
Mobile: 085 8311343 (Donal) / 087 7013871 (Gary)
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 4, July/August 2022
