List of Child Care Companies in Ireland

Last updated 4 November 2026

There are 2,780 child care companies in Ireland, one in every 145 Irish companies. One in three creches is based in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Naas. Below you find the largest creches in Ireland, the cities where they cluster, how many started this year and which are the oldest. The full list with addresses, phone numbers and email is in our Irish company database or through the Company Data API.

2,780 companies indexed · Data counted on 4 November 2026

Companies2,7801 in145 Irish companiesCities343Largest cityDublin 538Sole traders0.8%Employees5-9 (43%)Revenue< $100K (80%)Email29%Phone57%Website40%

Build your list Get a free sample

9 / 10 from 88 verified reviews

A live sample of the list

A live view of all 2,780 creches, sorted by revenue. Narrow it by region, city, employee size, revenue, legal form or founding year, or search a firm by name.

Giraffe Childcare LIMITEDGiraffe Childcare LIMITED

	Company Name	Country	City	Address 1	State/Province	Postal Code	Website	Founding Year	Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars	Employees Total	Business Legal Type - Description	Number of Companies in Group	Company Registration Number
1	Giraffe Childcare LIMITED	Ireland	Lucan	2 Castlegate House	Dublin	N/A	*****.ie	2000	$36,812,766	522	Corporation	2784	319270
2	Hotel Kilkenny LIMITED	Ireland	Kilkenny	Hotel Kilkenny	Kilkenny	N/A	*****.ie	1984	$25,943,684	494	Corporation	4	103660
3	The Park Academy LIMITED	Ireland	Dublin	Unit 3 the Park Business Centre	Dublin	D18 PY77	*****.ie	2001	$13,005,542	204	Corporation	2784	340604
4	The Links Creche & Montessori LIMITED	Ireland	Portmarnock	Seabrook Manor	Dublin	N/A	*****.ie	2004	$10,989,532	226	Corporation	3	387251
5	ST. Andrew's Resource Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	114-116 Pearse Street	Dublin	D02 PR44	*****.ie	1988	$7,586,773	143	Corporation	N/A	130212
6	Comhar Naionra Na Gaeltachta Cuideachta Faoi Theorainn Ráthaíochta	Ireland	Galway	An Cuilean	Galway	N/A	N/A	2004	$6,833,288	9	Corporation	N/A	386407
7	Castle Park School	Ireland	Dalkey	Castlepark Road	Dublin	N/A	*****.ie	1962	$6,475,707	83	Corporation	N/A	20117
8	Limerick Social Service Council Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Limerick	Social Service Centre	Limerick	V94 PP62	*****.ie	2011	$4,299,484	74	Corporation	N/A	493808
9	Northside Family Resource Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Limerick	Cloncannane Road	Limerick	V94 YH63	*****.ie	1996	$3,728,220	83	Corporation	N/A	252414
10	Daughters Of Charity Community Services Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	Daughters of Charity Community Services	Dublin	D01 Y1R9	*****.ie	2008	$2,927,394	58	Corporation	N/A	452273
11	Ballymun Arts And Community Resource Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	Main Street	Dublin	D09 Y9W0	*****.ie	2000	$2,664,235	41	Corporation	N/A	327138
12	Nenagh Childcare Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Nenagh	Limerick Road	North Tipperary	E45 X744	*****.com	2003	$2,167,248	87	Corporation	N/A	377087
13	Clare Family Resource Centre LIMITED	Ireland	Ennis	Watery Road	Clare	V95 DW72	*****.com	1996	$1,787,183	43	Corporation	N/A	250778
14	Our Lady's Nursery, Ballymun, Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	121 Silloge Gardens	Dublin	D11 FX56	*****.ie	1993	$1,735,151	38	Corporation	N/A	203471
15	Pals Pre School Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	Hampton Wood Drive	Dublin	D11 X62D	*****.ie	2008	$1,688,416	26	Corporation	N/A	461037
16	Ballyfermot Star Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	7 Drumfinn Park	Dublin	D10 FP66	*****.ie	1999	$1,665,942	77	Corporation	N/A	308537
17	Finglas Childcare Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	2a North Road	Dublin	D11 CP58	N/A	2001	$1,449,034	49	Corporation	N/A	343422
18	Killorglin Community Childcare Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Killarney	Langford Street	Kerry	V93 FK58	*****.ie	2000	$1,443,027	37	Corporation	N/A	333495
19	Let's Grow Together! Infant & Childhood Partnerships Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Cork	Drum Building Complex	Cork	T23 R6V3	*****.ie	2019	$1,359,852	19	Corporation	N/A	658035
20	Letterkenny Community Playgroup Childcare Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Letterkenny	Enterprise Business	Donegal	F92 DF21	*****.ie	2002	$1,342,164	26	Corporation	N/A	363102
21	Ballybay Community Creche Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Castleblayney	Town Park	Monaghan	A75 XV48	N/A	2006	$1,339,699	38	Corporation	N/A	417424
22	Saol Project Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	58 Amiens Street	Dublin	D01 K253	*****.ie	1995	$1,253,608	48	Corporation	N/A	240461
23	The Model Creche LIMITED	Ireland	Letterkenny	Drumnahoagh	Donegal	F92 FH51	N/A	2021	$1,222,013	27	Corporation	N/A	698873
24	Tallaght Childcare Company Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	Millbrook Lawns Primary Care Centre	Dublin	D24 K3EV	*****.ie	1997	$1,199,288	20	Corporation	N/A	271410
25	Mellow Spring Childcare Development Centre Company LIMITED By Guarantee	Ireland	Dublin	11 Mellowes Road	Dublin	D11 E6K2	*****.ie	2003	$1,187,496	33	Corporation	N/A	372075

Showing 25 of 2,780 companies

Request Free Sample

Show the numbers for

How many child care companies are there in Ireland?

Child care companies and creches in Ireland

2,780

4 November 2026

There are 2,780 child care companies and creches in Ireland in our data (4 November 2026). That is one in every 145 Irish companies. About 2 new firms are entered in the register every week this year (83 so far in 2026).

Structure

Single-site firms: 2,722 98%
Head offices: 28
Branch offices: 30

Classification

NACE Rev. 2 code 8891. Our platform filter is NACE Rev. 2 8891.

1,140 of the 2,780 are Ltd, DAC and PLC (41%); 22 are sole traders. They come from Companies Registration Office (CRO) and our Irish register data, through the Company Data API.

Creches in Dublin

Dublin has 538 child care companies and creches, 0.5% of all 118,946 Dublin companies and 35% below the national share. One in four Dublin firms have fewer than five people; 15 have 50 or more. 14 new firms were entered in 2026, 15 date from before 1990.

Size

1-4 staff: 130 · 25%
5-9: 214 · 41%
10-19: 113 · 22%
20-49: 52 · 10%
50+: 15 · 3%

Legal form

Sole traders: 5 · 0.9%
Partnerships: 0 · 0%
Ltd, DAC and PLC: 239 · 44%
Other or none: 294 · 55%

Of the Irish total: 19.4%
Of all Dublin companies: 0.5%
Against the national share: 0.7×

New

Entered 2026 so far: 14
Entered 2025: 20
Of Ireland's 2026 entries: 16.9%

Old

Before 1990: 15 · 3%
1990 or later: 523 · 97%
Of Ireland's pre-1990 firms: 42.9%

Reachable

Email: 192 · 36%
Phone: 324 · 60%
Website: 272 · 51%

Revenue (USD)

Under $100K: 399 · 76%
$100K-$500K: 100 · 19%
$500K-$1M: 14 · 3%
$1M and more: 11 · 2%

Largest

1334
2204
3143
4131
5121

Free Dublin sample

Where in Ireland?

Dublin has the most child care companies in Ireland (538), ahead of Cork (147), Galway (97), Limerick (88) and Naas (55). Together the five hold one in three of them.

Cities by number of firms

343 Irish cities have at least one crech; 60 have ten or more; 185 have exactly one. Click a city to set the lens.

Firm sizes in Ireland

Of the 2,756 Irish creches with a known headcount, 804 (29%) have one to four people, 1,181 have five to nine, 728 have ten to 49 and 43 have 50 or more. Most firms turn over under $100,000 a year (2,192, 80%).

EU size bands · the grey line shows all Irish companies

Micro under 101,985 72%
Small 10 to 49728 26%
Medium 50 to 24942 2%
Large 250+1 <0.1%

Grey line: the share among all Irish companies (87% have under ten staff).

firms turn over more than $5 million a year; 4 more than $10 million.

firms were entered in 2026.

Largest creches in Ireland

The biggest firms by staff and by revenue, the largest in Dublin. Click a name for the record.

Giraffe Childcare is the largest crech in Ireland by headcount. 43 firms employ 50 people or more; 11 employ 100 or more.

1Lucan522 staff
2Dublin334 staff
3Portmarnock226 staff
4Dublin143 staff
5Athlone130 staff
6Sligo123 staff
7Wicklow110 staff
8Dublin99 staff
9Clonmel89 staff
10Malahide87 staff

By employee size · 2,756 firms with a known headcount

Employees	Firms	%
1-4	804	29%
5-9	1,181	43%
10-19	497	18%
20-49	231	8%
50-99	32	1%
100-199	7	0.3%
200-499	3	0.1%
500-999	1	<0.1%
1,000+	0	0%

29% have 1 to 4 people; 231 have 20 to 49; 43 have 50 or more.

By yearly revenue (USD)

Revenue	Firms	%
< $100K	2,192	80%
$100K-$500K	471	17%
$500K-$1M	55	2%
$1M-$5M	25	0.9%
$5M-$10M	3	0.1%
$10M-$50M	4	0.1%

80% under $100,000; 25 between $1M and $5M; 7 above $5M.

Newcomers in Ireland in 2026

83 creches were entered in the Irish register so far in 2026, about 2 a week, after 90 in 2025. Ireland as a whole saw 18,598 new companies in 2026, so this industry takes 0.4% of the inflow.

762022
782023
1012024
902025
832026 so far

82 of this year's 83 are Ltd, DAC and PLC.

The biggest newcomers of 2026

The year is the register entry; an established firm that changes legal form appears as new.

1Cork10 staff
2Longford10 staff
3Gorey10 staff
4Dublin10 staff
5Dublin10 staff

Sole traders or Ltd: how they are organised

One in 126 Irish creches work as sole traders, against 2% of all Irish companies. Two in five are Ltd, DAC and PLC.

Sole traders220.8%
Partnerships1<0.1%
Ltd, DAC and PLC1,14041%
No form on record or other1,61758%

Single-site: 98%
Head offices: 28
Branches: 30

All Irish companies: 2% sole traders, 0.3% partnerships, 83% Ltd, DAC and PLC.

The oldest firms in Ireland

Our data holds 2 Irish creches from before 1900, 2 from before 1950 and 35 from before 1990.

1860
1. Valentia Island
1887
1. Dublin
1961
1. Killaloe
1962
1. Dalkey
1964
1. Athlone
1970
1. Dun Laoghaire

Fewer than five firms date from before 1950, so the timeline starts with the oldest firms before 1990.

Older than you

Live tool

Move the slider to a year. Two live counts, scoped to this industry.

1990

Irish creches date from before 1990

were entered in 1990

How reachable are they?

Creches are easier to reach than the average Irish company: 57% list a phone number and 40% a website.

Email805 29%
Phone1,581 57%
Website1,103 40%

Grey line: all Irish companies (email 14%, phone 22%, website 21%).

The full list with these fields is in our Irish company database.

How they compare

Next to related industries

There are 2 creches for every one of the cleaning companies in Ireland.

Industry	Firms	Website	1-4 staff
Child Care Companies	2,780	40%	29%
Employment Agencies	2,483	23%	70%
Cleaning Companies	1,614	21%	74%

In other countries

Only Brazil, the UK and Belgium have more creches than Ireland.

Country	Firms	Per 1,000 cos.
Brazil	22,500	0.8
The UK	11,126	1.3
Belgium	7,823	3.3
Ireland	2,780	6.9
The Czech Republic	1,840	0.5

More countries →

Free sample: creches in Europe

Frequently asked questions

How many child care companies are there in Ireland?

There are 2,780 child care companies and creches in Ireland in our data, counted on 4 November 2026. That is one in every 145 Irish companies.

Which is the largest crech in Ireland?

Giraffe Childcare in Lucan, with 522 staff.

Which Irish city has the most child care companies?

Dublin, with 538, ahead of Cork (147), Galway (97), Limerick (88) and Naas (55).

How many creches are there in Dublin?

538, which is 0.5% of all 118,946 Dublin companies and 35% below the national share.

How big is a typical crech?

29% of the 2,756 firms with a known headcount have one to four people; 43 have 50 or more. Most turn over under $100,000 a year.

Are Irish child care companies sole traders or companies?

One in 126 (22) are sole traders, <0.1% are partnerships and 41% (1,140) are Ltd, DAC and PLC.

How many creches started in 2026?

83 were entered in the Irish register so far in 2026, after 90 in 2025. 82 of them are Ltd, DAC and PLC.

What is the oldest crech in Ireland?

Valentia Island Resource & Childcare Centre in Valentia Island, 1860, followed by Carrs Child & Family Services in Dublin (1887) and Lakeside Creche in Killaloe (1961). 2 firms date from before 1900.

Which industry code covers child care companies?

Irish child care companies are classified under NACE Rev. 2 code 8891. Our platform filters them on NACE Rev. 2 8891.

Can I download the full list?

Yes. All 2,780 firms with address, phone, email, legal form, employees, revenue and founding year, as Excel, CSV or through the API.

Discover more: related industries, in other countries

The lists closest to this one. Every industry and city in Ireland is on the Ireland page.

Health and social work

Europe

Americas

Asia Pacific

Child Care Companies in Hong Kong

Get the full list of child care companies in Ireland

All 2,780 firms with address, phone, email, legal form, employees, revenue and founding year. Excel, CSV or API, delivered within 24 hours.

Get a free sample