McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan

What McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan does

McCarthy Keville O'Sullivan (MKO) is an Irish planning and environmental consultancy headquartered in Galway, with a second office in Dublin opened in January 2023. Founded by Gus McCarthy, Brian Keville, and John O'Sullivan, the firm operates 14 specialist teams and employs 220+ staff, with a stated growth target of approximately 300. It is wholly Irish-owned and positions itself as Ireland's largest indigenous planning and environmental consultancy, reporting responsibility for 50% of consented wind energy capacity in 2024 and over 3GW of cumulative wind farm project experience.

The firm's service offering spans 17 sectors including wind energy, solar energy, water utility, residential development, infrastructure, and healthcare. Core capabilities include strategic planning advice, environmental impact assessment, ecology, archaeology, noise and air assessments, and site surveying using drone-based thermal imaging and GIS baselining. Clients span global corporates (Apple, Ørsted, Dexcom, BayWa r.e.), Irish state and semi-state bodies (Coillte, HSE, Bord na Móna, University of Galway), and large domestic developers (Cairn Homes, Glenveagh). In March 2024, MKO acquired CDM Smith Ireland, materially expanding its headcount, sector reach, and multinational client handoff capability.

Revenue is generated on a project- and retainer-based professional services model, typical of planning and environmental consultancies: fees are tied to scope, complexity, and duration of planning applications, environmental assessments, and compliance engagements. The firm has also launched a Solar Energy division, extending from its wind-energy stronghold into adjacent renewables. Leadership comprises Managing Director Brian Keville, Founding Director Gus McCarthy, and four directors appointed in 2023 (Bláithín Gallagher, Niall Barrett, Shane McHugh, Martin Healy). No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan

Legal name

McCarthy Keville O'Sullivan

Website

https://mkoireland.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McCarthy Keville O'Sullivan (MKO) is an Irish planning and environmental consultancy with 220+ staff across Galway and Dublin, serving renewable energy, infrastructure, and public-sector clients — most recently expanding via its March 2024 acquisition of CDM Smith Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental & Planning Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Management Consulting Services (54161), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ), Program & Project Management (PMO) Consulting (BPAHACAL)

Keywords

• Planning consultancy services
• Environmental impact assessment
• Ecological survey services
• Renewable energy consulting
• Ornithology monitoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

Galway

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Planning and Environmental Consultancy Services: Professional consultancy services including planning applications, environmental impact assessments, ecological surveys, ornithological monitoring, and related environmental consulting services provided to government bodies, state agencies, local authorities and private sector clients across Ireland.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MKO is Ireland's largest dedicated planning and environmental consultancy, delivering multi-disciplinary consulting services through 14 specialist teams covering planning, environmental impact assessment, ecology, ornithology, renewables, water, acoustics, bat surveys, drone surveys, GIS and digital, health and safety, land agent services, landscape and visual assessment, project management, and research. The firm secures planning permissions, conducts environmental and ecological surveys, and provides strategic advisory for renewable energy, residential, commercial, healthcare, education, infrastructure and industrial development projects across Ireland.

Product overview

MKO (McCarthy Keville O'Sullivan) is Ireland's largest planning and environmental consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of multi-disciplinary services. The company operates as a unified consultancy with integrated specialist teams including Planning, Environmental, Ecology, Ornithology, Renewables, Water (including geo-environmental engineering added via CDM Smith Ireland acquisition), Acoustics, Bat Surveys, Drone Surveys, GIS and Digital, Health and Safety, Land Agent Services, Landscape and Visual, Project Management, Research, and Project Communications. The firm serves sectors spanning renewable energy (wind and solar), residential, commercial, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and waste management across Ireland with offices in Galway and Dublin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Consultancy Services Provides planning advice, strategic consultation and planning applications for residential, commercial, renewable energy, healthcare, education and infrastructure projects across Ireland, securing permissions from An Bord Pleanála and local authorities.
• Environmental Consultancy Services Offers environmental impact assessments (EIAs), environmental compliance reporting and strategic environmental advice for development projects across multiple sectors.
• Ecology Services Provides ecological assessments, habitat surveys, biodiversity management plans and nature impact statements for development and infrastructure projects.
• Ornithology Services Specialises in bird surveys including vantage point surveys, breeding bird surveys, waterbird surveys and collision risk modelling for wind farms.
• Renewables Services Provides integrated planning and environmental assessment for wind energy and solar energy projects, with expertise on over 3GW of onshore and offshore wind farm developments.
• Water Services Offers water and environmental engineering services including water infrastructure projects and drainage schemes, expanded through the CDM Smith Ireland acquisition.
• Geo-environmental Engineering Specialist geo-environmental engineering services covering ground investigations and contaminated land assessment, acquired through CDM Smith Ireland.
• Acoustics Services Provides noise impact assessments for residential and commercial developments.
• Bat Surveys Conducts bat surveys and monitoring for development projects including roost identification and assessment.
• Drone Surveys Offers drone-based aerial surveys using thermal imaging for bird detection, nesting surveys and environmental monitoring.
• GIS and Digital Services Provides Geographic Information System analysis, site identification for wind and solar developments, and digital mapping services.
• Health and Safety Services Provides health and safety consultancy services for construction and development projects.
• Land Agent Services Offers land acquisition, negotiation and management services, particularly for renewable energy and infrastructure projects.
• Landscape and Visual Services Provides landscape and visual impact assessments, including LVIA studies, in support of planning applications.
• Project Management Services Delivers project management for construction, infrastructure and development projects from inception through delivery.
• Research Services Conducts environmental research including landscape sensitivity calibration, ornithological studies and biodiversity monitoring.
• Project Communications Services Provides public consultation, media management, stakeholder engagement and communication strategy services for planning projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured planning permission for 25 turbine wind farm with 178.5m blade tip height at Ardderroo
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CDM Smith Ireland LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2024MKO acquired CDM Smith Ireland Ltd., a leading firm providing specialist water, geo-environmental and environmental engineering services, from its German-headquartered parent CDM Smith SE. Key personnel including Ruairi O'Carroll (former Managing Director) and Ralf Bufler joined MKO. The acquisition expands MKO's service offering with water, geo-environmental and environmental engineering services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scott Cawley: Scott Cawley is one of Ireland's leading ecological and environmental consultancies, working across planning, ecology, arboriculture and environmental impact assessment for wind farms, residential and infrastructure clients. Directly comparable to MKO in customer base, geography and core service mix in the ecology/ornithology space.
• Fehily Timoney & Company: Fehily Timoney is a Cork-based Irish environmental, planning and engineering consultancy serving public and private clients across waste, water, energy, transport and renewables. Highly comparable to MKO in geography, multi-disciplinary scope and Irish public-sector client focus.
• TOBIN Consulting Engineers: TOBIN is an Ireland-wide multi-disciplinary engineering, environmental and planning consultancy with offices across the country. Direct peer in scale, geography and breadth of services for public infrastructure, renewables and development clients.
• Malone O'Regan: Malone O'Regan is an Irish civil and environmental engineering consultancy operating across planning, infrastructure, water and environmental services. Comparable to MKO in the planning and environmental segments of Irish public-sector and developer work.
• Roughan & O'Donovan (ROD): ROD is a leading Irish engineering consultancy delivering civil, structural, environmental and project management services to public and private clients across transport, energy, water and buildings. Closely comparable to MKO in Irish multi-disciplinary consulting, with deeper civil/structural engineering emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Jacobs Ireland: Jacobs is a global professional services firm with Irish operations spanning environmental, water, transportation and energy consulting. Overlaps MKO's core environmental and infrastructure consulting, with the resource depth of a global major.
• Mott MacDonald Ireland: Mott MacDonald operates a substantial Irish consultancy in environment, planning, water and energy. Direct overlap with MKO's service portfolio and target clients, delivered from a large UK-headquartered multinational platform.
• Arup Ireland: Arup is a global engineering, planning and environmental consultancy with Irish offices serving built environment, energy and infrastructure clients. Overlaps MKO's planning and environmental assessment work for high-profile public and private clients in Ireland.
• AECOM Ireland: AECOM is a global infrastructure consultancy with a sizeable Irish practice providing environment, planning, water and energy services. Same end markets and service overlap as MKO, but from a global, multi-billion-dollar parent with broader capabilities.
• WSP in Ireland: WSP operates a large Irish planning, environment and engineering consultancy competing directly with MKO for renewable energy, transport and built-environment mandates. Comparable in service mix and clients but with substantially greater international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MKOIreland
• Facebookfacebook.com/MKOIreland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mkoireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan