Inisfáil Greeting Cards Ltd., 1 Mc Dermott Place, Fermoy, was founded by Mr. Gerald Redmond in the 1950s. It is a family run wholesale business which deals in greeting cards, Mass cards and other related products.

Gerald got the idea for his business from his brother Fr. Jim Redmond, a priest with the Pallottine Order, who was based in New York at the time. Prior to going to work in America Fr. Jim Redmond worked as a missionary priest with the Pallottine Fathers in East Africa and from his experience Fr. Jim knew that funds were badly needed for the missions there.

While in New York Fr. Jim became acquainted with some people who were in the greeting card and stationary business. This type of business was starting to grow in America at the time and Fr. Jim developed an idea to help raise the much needed funds for the missionary priests and nuns still working in Africa. Through his contacts he started a small enterprise where he bought Mass cards, greeting cards and other social stationary and sold them to churches and religious orders. All profits were then sent on to the missions. Fr. Jim shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for the business with Gerald who could see an opening for this type of venture here in Ireland. And so the idea for a wholesale greeting card business here in Fermoy was born.

At the time the greeting card business generally in Ireland was small. It mainly dealt with a limited range of birthday and Christmas cards. In America however, the greeting card and stationary business was much broader with a much wider range of cards and social stationary available. Through Fr. Jim’s contacts, Gerald started to import a broader range of cards and stationery and launch them on to the Irish market.

In the beginning the business was run from his home on a part-time basis i.e. outside of his full time employment. However by the 1960’s Gerald had built up enough customers and a good network of suppliers to decide to go into this business full time. The name “Inisfáil Greeting Cards” was decided on – Inisfáil being an old poetic name for Ireland.

In 1962 the business was moved to its current location and still operates there today.
In 1968 the name “Inisfáil Greeting Cards” was registered as a business.
In 2002 it became a limited company.

Gerald passed away on 1st December, 2007 and even though he was in his 94th year he worked in the family business, with his son John up to the day he died.

At present the company has a staff of 7 employees.