Lack of work and cashflow problems close Murray Ó Laoire Architects

Murray Ó Laoire Architects, which employs 127 people, has been forced into liquidation.

In a statement today, the firm said it was "unable to meet its current financial obligations as a result of cumulative bad debts and the ongoing difficulty of securing profitable work as well as the increasing difficulties in getting paid on time, or at all.

"We will do all we possibly can within the constraints of the liquidation process to minimise the impact of this event on our creditors, our clients and our staff."

The company, which was formed in 1979 by Hugh Murray and Seán Ó Laoire, will hold a creditors’ meeting in the coming days.

The firm has offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Bratislava (Slovakia), Moscow (Russia), Aachen (Germany), Tripoli (Libya), Barbados and Abu Dhabi and has worked on projects such as Thomond Park Stadium and Tailteann Sports Hall, Mary Immaculate College (both in Limerick), the CIT Cork School of Music, GMIT in Galway, Athlone Town Centre, the Green Building in Temple Bar, Dublin and the Irish Pavillion at the Hannover Expo 2000.