Our History

Four Generations. One Family. Over 100 Years of Timber.

The story of Coole Timber Products began in 1917, when Paddy Cahill established a sawmill at Coole, near Gort, County Galway.

More than 100 years later, the sawmill remains at the same location and is still a family run business, with the fourth generation of the Cahill family now involved in its operation.

Over the years, the sawmill has changed enormously. The machinery, methods and technology have all moved forward, but the values that have guided the business since Paddy's time have remained the same: attention to detail, quality workmanship and producing high-quality timber for our customers.

From Steam Power to Modern Sawmilling

When Paddy Cahill started the sawmill in 1917, the work was very different from what it is today.

The original sawmill was powered by a steam engine, with the saws driven by belts and machinery that required skill, patience and hard work to operate.

Timber was also handled very differently. Logs had to be brought out of the woods using horse and cart, before being transported to the sawmill for processing.

It was physically demanding work, and much of the process depended on experience and the skill of the people operating the machinery.

Over the generations, technology transformed the sawmill.

Steam power eventually gave way to electric motors, bringing greater efficiency and control to the cutting process. Machinery and handling methods continued to develop, allowing the business to process timber more efficiently and to produce a much wider range of products.

But while the technology has changed, the approach to the timber has not.

The machinery may be modern, but the attention to detail remains the same.

From selecting and cutting timber to preparing it for a customer's particular project, quality has always been central to the Cahill family business.

A Family Business

As Paddy's sons grew up, they became increasingly involved in the sawmill and learned the trade from their father.

His sons Michael (Mick), Gerry, Padraic, Joe and John all became part of the family business, helping to carry the sawmill forward into its next chapter.

The knowledge of working with timber was passed from father to son — not simply through instruction, but through years of working together in the yard and around the sawmill.

When the time came for the next generation to become involved, Mick brought his sons Ignatius, Patrick and Stanley into the business.

The family tradition continued.

Today, Ignatius operates the business alongside his sons Richard and Gavin, bringing the fourth generation of the Cahill family into the sawmill.

More Than 100 Years in Coole

Throughout all these generations, one thing has remained constant: the sawmill has stayed in the same location in Coole for more than a century.

The yard has changed. The buildings and machinery have changed. The way timber is moved, cut and processed has changed.

But the connection to the family business has remained.

Four generations of Cahills have now grown up around the sawmill, learning the timber trade and building on the experience of the generation before them.

From Cahill's Sawmill to Coole Timber Products

Today, Coole Timber Products continues the work Paddy Cahill began in 1917.

We have developed from a traditional sawmill into a modern timber business, supplying customers throughout the West of Ireland with a wide range of timber products.

Our products include construction timber, larch flooring and cladding, fencing, post and rail, decking, sleepers, mantelpieces, solid timber counters and table tops, along with a broad range of other timber products.

We also continue to cut timber to order, working with customers to produce timber to suit their individual projects.

The range of products and the technology used to produce them may be very different from those of 1917, but the principle remains exactly the same.

Take quality timber, know the material, pay attention to the detail and produce a finished product that you can be proud of.

1917 – Today

From steam engines to electric motors, from horse and cart to modern timber handling, and from a traditional local sawmill to today's Coole Timber Products, the business has continued to evolve with the times.

What has not changed is the importance placed on quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail.

More than a century after Paddy Cahill first established the sawmill, his family is still working in the same yard, with the same connection to timber and the same commitment to doing the job properly.

Four generations. Over 100 years. One family tradition.

And the story continues.