Major power with sisters at the wheel

Our hearts and our feet are here in Mayo and that won’t change anytime soon.”

Helping to run the family business may not be for everyone, but for sisters Eibhlin Murphy and Áine Lecky, it brought a better quality of life and more freedom to reign.

Both sisters moved away from their native Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo for years, but each found their way back in the mid-2000s to join their father’s business, Major Equipment International. Áine took over as financial director and Eibhlin became marketing director.

Their father John Murphy established the farm machinery manufacturing company in 1976 and it has remained in the family ever since.

“Deep down, I probably always knew that I would come back. We were always involved as kids, even in the stores during the summer and the office, so we always would have been in touch with what was going on,” explains Eibhlin.

The Major hub and head office are located in Ballyhaunis where both sisters live with their families, a mere five-minute drive from the office.

“I definitely can’t say I got caught in traffic anyways,” jokes Áine.

“We can afford to have a house and not be complete slaves to work. We have lived in Dublin but, what we see from our friends is that they are under incredible pressure between childcare fees and trying to pay a mortgage. We really just have such a good quality of life down here. I wouldn’t be moving away now at all, it’s a great place to live,” says Eibhlin.

Females take the wheel

Machinery is a hugely male-dominated industry in Ireland, but this has never held the two sisters back.

“Sometimes in sales they are surprised when they’re talking to a female, but there are so many women farmers now.

“I think we have work to do, but I think in general we don’t get a lot of sexism, or maybe it’s over our head and we don’t notice,” explains Eibhlin.

“If I’m at a farming networking dinner or anything like that, I tend to get a good spot at a good table trying to balance things out. I think people are conscious about having a balance at each table with females because there are not many. There could be 200 men and maybe 20 women,” she adds.

Ploughing win

The sisters won the prestigious Anna May McHugh leadership award at last year’s Ploughing Championships, which they enthusiastically describe as a huge honour.

“It gave us a little bit more confidence in what we’re doing and it added credibility to what we are doing overseas as well,” says Eibhlin.

“[Anna May McHugh] definitely paved the way for us in that nobody really bats an eyelid anymore seeing a woman at the Ploughing. Anna May kind of did the hard graft 40 or 50 years ago.”

Last year was not their first Ploughing by any stretch of the imagination, however.

“I absolutely love getting out and about with the wellies on and seeing people having chats. It will be interesting to see what peoples’ plans are for the winter and for spring of 2019 just with what fodder and cattle they have,” says Eibhlin.

Hot products

Major sells in over 20 countries across the world and employs 98 people, 88 of whom are in Ireland. Considering the UK is their largest market, will Brexit impact their business?

“We are still very committed to the UK market. It is a market we have worked very hard to develop and we do employ many people full-time in the UK. We have plans in place in the event, which hopefully won’t be the case, of a no-deal Brexit,” says Áine.

They have reduced the overhead in the UK office and have a UK warehouse space waiting in case they need to start manufacturing there.

As for their most popular machines, Eibhlin says the cyclone mowers and customised agricultural tankers with fairly high-specs are some customer favourites.

“People want anything that maybe makes their life a little easier running the farm and value for money. They want equipment that’s going to last and do the job that it’s supposed to do,” Eibhlin explains.

I think we have work to do, but I think in general we don’t get a lot of sexism, or maybe it’s over our head and we don’t notice. If I’m at a farming networking dinner or anything like that, I tend to get a good spot at a good table trying to balance things out

Major apprenticeship

Major runs a four-year long apprenticeship programme in the company and they would love to see more females applying. There are no women in the current programme and few female applications for the next.

“Not to be kind of sexist the other way, but we would love to see CVs coming in from female engineers,” hints Eibhlin.

“We knew that these skills are in short supply so the apprenticeship programme is a way of attracting these people in and to train them in conjunction with Solas,” says Áine.

Between re-configuring their mowers, bringing new suppliers on board and improving components of the product range, this is one majorly busy family business with two strong women at the helm.