O'Meara Camping Ireland have been trading continuously in Ireland since 1966.
About our companyWelcome to O’Meara Camping Ireland – Ireland’s Biggest Online Camping Store. Although principally a Camping & Leisure store the range of products in O Meara Camping has also evolved with the requirements of our customers. This diversification includes:
- Tents for Camping. + A range of air tents.
- Party tents / Marquee tents.
- Air tents for camping and events.
- Tents for events.
- Own branded shelters and flags
- Market Stalls for business start ups.
- Gazebo quick erecting shelters.
- Pop up shelters / Quick Erect Shelters.
- Trestle Furniture.
- Water Harvesters to collect free rainwater.
- High quality insulated Ice boxes for carrying samples or medicines.
- Tents for Car racing and motorcycle events.
- Tents for Exhibitions and for Exhibitors.
- Garden Gazebo’s.
- Garden Tents.
- Tents for Car racing and motorcycle events.
- Tents for Exhibitions and for Exhibitors.
- Tents for product launches.
- Tents for Dog Shows.
- Tents for use beside Mobile Homes.
- Decking Shelters.
- Car Roof bags.
- House Awnings.
- Griddles come BBq’s.
- Hog Roasting Machines.
- Canoes and Kayaks and Kayaking gear.
- Accessories for Caravans, Camping, Motorhomes, Mobile Homes and Boating.
- Dome Tents, Frame Tents, Scout Tents, Girl Guide Tents.
- Caravan and Motorhome awnings.+a range of Air Awnings.
- Furniture, Cookers, Lighting.
- And many more innovative and specialist products.
O’Meara Camping Ireland remains a market leader, recognized as a household name and brand throughout Ireland and abroad, one of our ads was even referenced in the New York Times. The Camping Brand is synonymous with the name O’Meara Camping, as it has been for over 50 years. Many of our customers are not only repeat, but second or even third generation customers. The longevity of the company is testament to the customer service, diversity and innovative nature of the business. As a camper it is possible that you have one of our Colour Brochures or maybe one of our early Black and White brochures. Have a look at our History section on our web site where some older memories of brochures and holidays of yester year may be re kindled.
Moving with the times O Meara Camping have moved our brochure to the Internet and can now update our products almost immediately as we can post pictures and video on to this new medium very quickly. O’Meara Camping continues to provide our customers with an honest appraisal of products, their quality and suitability. Our after sales services is another delineating quality of the company, our expertise and understanding of our products separates us from our competitors. In keeping with our go it alone policy of own branding and specifications for the Irish market we have also taken our own photographs. Almost all the tents you see on our web site have been erected and photographed by ourselves. Over the years O’Meara Camping has been in many locations but are now back in Crumlin once again…. Yes in the same old building in Sunshine Estate!
Call us on: +353-(0)1-4534070. Or Email us: info@omearacamping.com
Later in the web site I have tried to give an overview of the Trailer Tent but at the risk of repeating myself here is some of the earlier O Meara Camping History.
The first trailer tent in Ireland was the Nimrod built by an American company operating from Belgium. Rory O Meara the then owner of O’Meara Camping got the agency in 1966 at a time when O Meara’s only had a basement premises in 78 Lr. Leeson Street. The representative from America nearly had a heart attack when he saw our basement premises but he took a chance anyway. Another early innovation took place in 1966 when O Meara Camping were the first in Ireland, if not Europe, to introduce the framed rucksack. O Meara’s imported the framed rucksack from the USA, from the famous Johnson and Johnson Company. At that time we also introduced the electric outboard motor from a USA company, Phluger Corporation of Phoenix, Arizona. We were about twenty years ahead of the market and today they are common on Lough Derg and all over Europe. “The Vicker” trailer tent was another trailer tent manufactured at this time but as far as we are aware it was never introduced into Ireland. Vickers owned The Rolls Royce firm at the time. There was also an early Irish manufactured trailer tent called the “Raparee”. The Raparee was a brilliant design but was not able to survive the extreme competition of that time. About 150 were sold. The first mass produced trailer tent was “The Mirror”. The Mirror was sold through the U.K. Mirror newspaper group in DIY kit form and popularised the concept. It was never sold in Ireland. The Rover was a variation of it and O Meara’s sold hundreds. O Meara Camping introduced the Combi Camp to Ireland and were the most successful distributor in the World, selling more per head of population than anywhere else. Early buyers of the Combi Camp were the the then Government Minister Maura G. Quinn. Another early client was the then Minister for Justice, Sean Doherty. In the heady days of the trailer tent O Meara Camping sold 19 in one day at the RDS Spring Show. Charles Haughey bought a complete set of camping equipment for Inis Vickalaune. The equipment had to be light weight as he was transporting it to the island by helicopter.
Rory O Meara introduced the first Air Camping Holidays in the World when he chartered planes from Aer Lingus to fly holidaymakers to Estepona on the Costa del Sol. A two week holiday including air fare cost twenty nine pounds per person. O’Meara’s introduced the continental sited tent holiday to Ireland in conjunction with Normandy Ferries. One of our earliest clients went to Moscow about 1967.
The first meeting of the Irish Camping Club was held in our premises in 1966 in Leeson Street.
During 2011 I received the following e mail unsolicited…
Hi there,
Back in the early 70’s I worked through the school summer holidays in the O’Meara Camping shop in Tottenham, north London – was this one of your stores?
I was driving through Tottenham recently and spotted the sign painted on the wall above the shop that must now be nearly 40 years old – I’ve attached the photo – please let me know if it was in any way connected to you.
The manager was a Mr. O’Meara (Mike?) and he was definitely Irish – the assistant manager was an English guy called Dave. This was my first job and I have fond memories of my time there.
KR’s
Les Vial
The picture on the right was attached.
![O_Meara Camping History Tottenham](https://www.omearacamping.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/O_Meara-Camping-History-Tottenham.jpg)
I forwarded the e mail to Rory O Meara who now is the guy fronting Elephant Storage, a self storage company in Tallaght, Dublin. The reply from Rory O Meara the former owner of O Meara Camping is interesting as the O Meara history goes back a long time.
Hi Les,
Martin O’Meara, my cousin, sent your email to me. You are correct, that shop was part of my business back about 40 years ago. I sold it to “Blacks ltd” about 35 years ago. The manager was Rory O’Connor, from Dublin. The others working there were Dave and Mike. I most likely met you on one of my visits. Rory went to Australia after I sold the business. Dave came to Ireland and worked for a year or so in our Cork shop. I do not know anything about Mike. That was the last business I had in London. It started in Kilburn about 1959, moved to Holloway, then Kentish Town, then Willesden and finally to Tottenham. O’Meara Camping is still going strong in Ireland and is owned by a branch of the O’Meara family. I have fond memories of Tottenham. I think we tried selling all sorts of things apart from camping equipment. Rory O’Connor and his wife lived in an apartment over the shop. Shortly after Blacks took over, someone threw a stone through the window, a reaction to the IRA activities at the time. “Blacks Ltd” were not amused!
Thanks for the memory aid. I wonder if the painting will be listed and in time become a bit of history?
Regards,
Rory O’Meara
‘Ghost signs’ are popular in the UK, and a quick Google search showed that this particular sign had many admirers
we value every order
no matter how big or small
and that's what we aim to
do, every time.
Why Buy From Us30 Years
of Experience400+ Sales
on First Month1M + Web Pages
Created by Users500K + Customers
Served Around The World![](https://www.omearacamping.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/about_deco-6.png)
![](https://www.omearacamping.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/about_png-1.png)