Powering a bright future

Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy sign 3-year full sponsorship deal with Portroe GAA

Portroe GAA club recently announced a three-year full club sponsorship with Fáilte Solar, a world-leading solar technology distributor headquartered in Shannon and Sigenergy, a global leader in intelligent energy technology.

This is a first for the club and with the support of Fáilte Solar and its technology partner Sigenergy, Portroe GAA is preparing to take another major step forward.

Fáilte Solar, which is the largest distributor of solar equipment solutions in Ireland with significant operations across Europe, the UK and India, has built its reputation on delivering innovative, future-focused solar solutions to homes, businesses and communities.

Through its long term platinum exclusive partnership with Sigenergy, the company is helping to bring advanced solar, battery storage and energy management systems to the Irish market into homes, businesses and at the utility scale.

Together, Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy are focused on making clean energy smarter, more accessible and more impactful and is now the Number 1 energy storage solution in Ireland.

SHARED VISION

That shared vision is now extending beyond rooftops and energy systems, and into the heart of local communities. From a Gaelic games perspective, the people in Portroe GAA club believe that they have yet to reach their next level of success.

They’ve enjoyed some glorious successes down through the years, ones that will never be forgotten, but right now, inside the gates of the club, the focus is firmly on the future, a sustainable future.

The same can be said for Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy. Both companies are focused not merely on what can be achieved today, but on what can be built for the next generation.

Their shared commitment to sustainability, innovation and long-term community impact makes the newly announced partnership between Fáilte Solar, Sigenergy and the North Tipperary club a natural fit.

But it didn’t happen by accident.

Fáilte Solar Group CEO Mark Shinners is a passionate Portroe man who played for the club from the underage ranks to senior level. He is making waves in the high-powered world of global business, but he has never forgotten his roots.

It was his idea to launch this novel partnership, which ties in with Fáilte Solar’s Community Connect programme, an initiative designed to support GAA clubs across the country through sponsorship, energy support and long-term community investment.

For Tom Gallahue, chairperson of Portroe GAA, the partnership is both groundbreaking and transformative in equal measure. “To have a company of that size willing to back a small parish, a small community like Portroe is massive,” Tom emphasises.

For Mark, this is also uniquely personal. In a heartfelt speech delivered on the night the sponsorship was unveiled, he lauded both the club and the wider community.

He described Portroe GAA club as “a special club that sets a great example for other GAA clubs across the country in terms of its identity, its character, how progressive and forward looking the club is”.

PARTNERSHIP

Mark described the partnership as “long overdue and well deserved” and spoke proudly about Fáilte Solar’s Community Connect programme and its impact on over 50 GAA and camogie clubs across Ireland that it now supports.

That reach reflects the company’s wider commitment to Irish sport and community life. Anyone with a keen interest in cricket will have noticed that the Fáilte Solar name is also emblazoned across the Irish cricket team’s jerseys. The company is the proud sponsor of Cricket Ireland’s International men’s team. It is now the proud sponsor of Portroe GAA, too.

Sigenergy’s involvement adds further significance to the partnership.

As a large public company at the cutting edge of smart energy solutions, Sigenergy represents the kind of innovation and global ambition that Fáilte Solar is bringing into Irish communities. Its technology is designed around efficiency, sustainability and intelligent energy use, values that align closely with the future-focused thinking now taking root in Portroe GAA.

This is not simply a sponsorship in the traditional sense. It is a statement of intent. Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy are backing a club, a parish and a generation of young players with the same belief that underpins their work in the energy sector: that long-term progress comes from vision, investment and commitment.

The sponsorship itself is extensive. It covers everything from new jerseys for all teams with a subtle emblem at the back referencing the “Little Village”, to support for club development initiatives, as well as a dedicated fund that will “recognise and reward achievements”. As Mark said on the night, “success on the field reflects the hard work that happens behind the scenes every single week.”

POWERING IDENTITY

For Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy, the partnership with Portroe GAA is a powerful example of what their work represents.

Solar technology is about more than panels, batteries and systems. It is about relationships, trust, resilience, sustainability and preparing communities for the future. It is about using innovation to create lasting impact.

That is why this partnership feels so fitting. It was Darren Gleeson who first raised the whole question of club identity and community spirit.

The former Tipperary All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper and All Star is now chairman of the juvenile club.

He felt that this aspect was lacking, and insisted that every team in the club, from the under-6s right up to the adults, should wear the same jersey, in order to foster a true sense of identity. Step in Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy.

Through the partnership, every team in the club will be supported with the same jerseys and gear. That matters.

A jersey is never just a jersey in a GAA club. It is a symbol of belonging, pride a shared purpose. By helping to create that visual and emotional connection across all age groups, Fáilte Solar and Sigenergy are enabling something deeper than sponsorship. They are helping to strengthen the identity of an entire club.

Fáilte Solar is headquartered in Ireland but operating with global ambition. Sigenergy is bringing world-class smart energy technology to communities that want to take control of their energy future.

Portroe GAA is a small rural club with big ambition, deep pride and a clear sense of where it wants to go. Together, they represent progress, possibility and belief.

The future looks brighter than ever.