Gaelite was set up in Dublin in 1933 to manufacture and install neon. This was Ireland’s first venture into this new and innovative display medium and was quickly put to use decorating Dublin’s early cinema fronts and interiors.
Many well known cinemas of the day such as the Savoy, Carlton and Metropole were decorated and illuminated with neon lights.
It wasn’t long before advertisers and business establishments spotted the potential.
New customers required backgrounds and rigid fascias to support and back up the neon thus giving a good daylight appearance to their names and advertisements.
This became the nucleus of present day Gaelite.
Clients were supplied with hand drawn proposals by a team of in-house draughtsmen.
The company also employed a range of craftsmen who specialised in woodwork, metalwork, sign writing and neon.
Gaelite utilised this expertise to manufacture many of the iconic signs that were to be seen around Dublin and Cork, especially the city centre areas.
By the 1960s with the development of translucent plastic sheets (cast acrylic), the company expanded into other areas of sign and display manufacturing including the development of indoor point of sale.
Gaelite designed many signs utilising press moulding and reverse illumination, which was leading edge technology in its day.
In the 1970s Gaelite expanded its customer base to national companies with multi-branch networks.
Gaelite produced most of the outdoor images for companies in the drinks, petrol and retail sectors, having worked with some of its clients for over 30 years, proudly maintaining these close relationships to this day.
Changes in the marketplace during the 1990s, driven by environmental concerns and planning restrictions on outdoor signage/advertising, resulted in a shift of emphasis to in-store signage, display systems and digital prints for the food and retail industry.
The company moved from its inner city base to a modern plant in Sandyford Industrial Estate, shifting the association of sign making as a craft based industry to that of a modern business using the latest innovations in technology.
After over 85 years in business and dealing with many major companies in Ireland we have proven our ability to evolve to meet changing market and client demands. The evolution continues…
Established in 2007 Gaelite UK has firmly embedded itself in the marketplace. Gaelite UK has become known for future proofing our clients needs through innovative design, and creating solutions for our customers physical space which aligns with their overall strategic vision.
The key to this is our highly skilled team, who work together to drive us forward, through established procedures for prototype design and development, underpinned by a wealth of knowledge, experience and technical expertise.
The future is looking bright.
