Bardwrite, and its parent company, Bárd na nGleann (trading as Bárd), are proud of their achievements. Here are a few articles and press releases that relate to Bardwrite that were gleaned from news publications. Click on a title below to go directly to the relevant article:

• Bardwrite signs deal with Cisco to provide software documentation
• Bardwrite celebrates five years with Amdocs
• Bárd named one of Cork's leading employers
• Bardwrite wins contract for TeleTech's OnDemand documentation
• Bárd awarded "Company of the Year"
• Bardwrite provides editing to the European Foundation
• Bardwrite wins GME contract

A new technical writing deal with Cisco, worth over 250,000 euros, will instigate Bardwrite to create six new jobs in the coming months. This, together with another recent deal with TeleTech, will see the number of staff employed by the Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary) company increase to 35 from its current level of 25. This deal will last until the end of Cisco's fiscal year next summer and Bardwrite hopes it will lead to further jobs being created down the line.

"Our intention is that this is the beginning of a long relationship," said Tom Fitzgerald, managing director of Bárd, parent company of Bardwrite. "Cisco is one of the biggest technology companies in the world and we have spent the last five years patiently cultivating our relationship with them. They are very picky about who they work with."

Bárd was named Cork SME of the year in 2004 and placed fifth in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in 2005, opened up new avenues for the business. The company's business manager Léonie Ní Charthaigh said these achievements "made it logical that we would start working with the bigger global players, and Cisco has been on our horizon for quite some time."

The new project with Cisco will be headed up by Sinéad Coughlan. "I've been waiting for this one for a while, and I'm very excited at the opportunity that it offers," she said. "I'm fully aware that we won this contract in competition with global players, and am looking forward to a fruitful long-term relationship with my counterparts in Cisco."

Click here to read more about Bardwrite in the Electronic News Net.

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Bardwrite recently celebrated five years of successfully outsourcing technical documentation for the Amdocs CRM Product Development Unit. Amdocs is the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience.

In November 2001, Bardwrite, a service of Bárd na nGleann, headquartered in Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary), Co. Cork, Ireland, won this key contract against keen competition in Silicon Valley. Bardwrite writers are located mainly in Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh and regularly work with Amdocs CRM system professionals in California, Israel, Cyprus, and India, providing technical documentation services on materials ranging from online help and application user guides to very technical manuals that include installation, configuration, and customisation guides.

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Bárd was acclaimed as one of Cork’s leading employers by the Business Cork magazine at an awards ceremony on October 23, 2006. This award recognises Bárd as an employer that has made exceptional strides in the areas of employment levels, company turnover, company profitability, social responsibility, employee satisfaction, and commitment to work/life balance.

Bárd has adopted several family-friendly work practices for its employees. Its ethos stresses “family before work”, not the “work before family” attitude that prevails in most corporate work environments. These practices include teleworking, flexi-time, personal days off, etc. Bárd has found that recognition of its people’s personal and family needs engenders an environment of appreciation and cooperation, increases productivity, and in the long run, makes hard-nosed business sense.

Recognition was also given to the physical environment in which Bárd has chosen to operate. Its headquarters in the Muscraí Gealtacht is based in one of the most peaceful, scenic, rural locations in Ireland. In this setting, Bárd employees can avoid the stress of city commuting—with the only gridlock caused by local livestock being driven on the road (and even at that, these well-trained West Cork cattle will usually step aside if asked nicely).

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Bardwrite has been contracted to develop the documentation for TeleTech's newest software and services offering called OnDemand. Teletech is internationally known as a supplier of hosted contact center solutions. With OnDemand services, TeleTech is offering other companies the ability to acquire solutions that leverage the expertise and experience of TeleTech in the contact center industry.

The contract with TeleTech will initially create 6 new positions within Bárd's technical writing service, Bardwrite. The new project will be headed by Thom Illingworth. "The challenges that this project provides are very exciting," he said. "Bardwrite will provide high-quality documentation that TeleTech clients expect to accompany the state-of-the-art technological solutions TeleTech provides for contact centers."

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The Bárd na nGleann Group (trading as Bárd) from Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary) was declared 2004 Company of the Year in a ceremony in Cork City Hall on February 4, 2005. Bárd took the honours in the small to medium-sized enterprise (50 or fewer employees) category.

The award is given by the Cork Chamber of Commerce to recognise small and medium-sized companies in County Cork, Ireland's largest county. The list of eligible companies includes more than 950 members of the Chamber as well as more than 17,100 other possible nominee companies. Judging criteria were based on: 1. Performance/Growth in 2004 2. Innovation and development in product, service, R & D, or marketing 3. Acquisitions/Investments made during 2004 4. Economic, social, and cultural benefit to the local economy The Bárd na nGleann group is an information-management company headquartered in the Muskerry Gaeltacht (an Irish-speaking region) in Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh, with a subsidiary company, Bárd na nGleann International, located in San Jose, California.
During the presentation of the award, Robin O'Sullivan, president of Cork Chamber of Commerce, said "The Bárd na nGleann Group, is to be commended for growing from one employee in 1999 to a current staff of almost 50 employees between Ireland and the US. The company is a model for small rural companies competing in a global market and providing services to an international client base.'' In presenting the award, sponsored by Esat BT, to Bárd's Léonie Ní Chárthaigh, Ann O'Leary, Corporate Sales Director of Esat BT, said, "Bárd na nGleann combines highly skilled technical people with local cultural skills in the Gaeltacht and embodies the spirit of "thinking globally" while "acting locally."	From left to right: Cllr Sean Martin, Lord Mayor of Cork; Robin O'Sullivan President, Cork Chamber of Commerce; Léonie Ní Chárthaigh, Bárd na nGleann; Maurice Moloney, County Manager, Cork Co. Council; Derry Canty, Deputy Mayor, Cork Co. Council.
The award recognises the work of the Bárd team and the huge growth achieved over the past five years. Bárd's main business is technical writing for a global customer base. To meet its objectives, Bárd has overcome the challenges of infrastructure in a rural location by working with Údarás na Gaeltachta and Eircom to make Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh the first village in Ireland to have ADSL Broadband. Bárd has also managed to find excellent employees from around the country who can compete globally while maintaining their rural roots. The management and staff of Bárd see the company as a role model for culturally and environmentally friendly industry for rural Ireland. In addition to its English technical writing services (Bardwrite) Bárd is heavily involved in Irish language services. In keeping with its location in the Gaeltacht, Bárd continues to create markets for Irish language products and services. Return to top

Bardwrite of Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary), County Cork, has been awarded a framework contract by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The European Foundation, based in Dublin, is the first of the European agencies to be established to work in specialised areas of EU policy by contributing to the planning and design of better living and working conditions in Europe. Bardwrite will provide editing services to the Foundation.

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Bardwrite has won a contract to create all the user documentation for GME's state of the art encrypted communication products (www.gme.ie). The GME mobile phones/PDAs will soon become the "must have" devices among international business travellers and government officials. GME's portfolio of encrypted devices enables secure communication over most standard mobile networks. These technologically advanced devices come equipped with a comprehensive set of applications to ensure that the "road warrior" is not only secure, but also ready to take on any task.

Bardwrite, a service of Bárd, provides technical writing, editing, and outsourcing services from its home base in Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary), Co. Cork, and through its subsidiary, Bárd International in Silicon Valley, California. "We are delighted to work with GME" says Tom Fitzgerald, Managing Director of Bárd. "This is a truly exciting product and our documentation will be seen in all the right places. The documentation will complement the style and sophistication of the product and our writers and editors are excited about working on it. We're working with another local company, Mute Grab, who will do the graphic design work"

"Our preference was to work with a local company, but only one that had a sound understanding of the documentation needs of a global market," says Finbarr Ring, Managing Director of GME. "We weren't sure we could find the kind of experience we needed in the Cork area, and we were quite surprised to find an internationally experienced technical writing company in Ballingeary. Bardwrite has been writing for major multinational corporations from the start, so we are more than happy with the partnership."

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