One week after the mass exodus from Electric Picnic 2025 at Stradbally Hall, the festival clean-up continues. The hard-working team from Ryans Cleaning took a short break this morning to celebrate 40 years in business.
Aisling Ryan, CEO of Ryans Cleaning commented “We decided to celebrate this major milestone for our family business while we’re doing what we do best, cleaning up after an outdoor festival and where better to mark it than right here in Stradbally after Electric Picnic, Ireland’s biggest music and arts festival.”
Ryans Cleaning has grown from a small and humble beginnings in Thurles, Co. Tipperary into the leading event cleaning and waste management company, that can be found at a wide range of venues, festivals and events across Ireland and the UK.
This year alone, Ryans Cleaning will manage over 7,000 tonnes of waste while cleaning up after almost 3.5 million patrons, all while maintaining their strict zero waste to landfill policy. Their full-time staff of 120 personnel is complemented by a seasonal workforce that grows to in excess of 1,500 during peak season.
This year as they celebrate 40 years in business, CEO Aisling Ryan and the company founder Pat Ryan sat down to look back on some of their icon moments, the history of Ryans Cleaning and Aisling’s plans for the future.
Aisling said: “It feels fitting that as we mark 40 years, we’re back at Electric Picnic, one of the highlights of our annual calendar. Ryans Cleaning has grown into something we’re all so proud of. None of it would be possible without our hardworking teams, both permanent staff and the incredible seasonal crews who work tirelessly day and night to make events like Electric Picnic look their best.”
She continued “This year has certainly been a busy one and we are not slowing down anytime soon. We have another massive clean-up operation underway in Stamford in the UK today where the Defender Burghley Horse Trials attracted over 170,000 patrons to its prestigious four day event, and The National Ploughing Championships are just around the corner too!”
Pat Ryan who founded the company with his wife Philomena is now happily retired safe in the knowledge that their family business is in the capable hands and care of their daughter Aisling. Taking some time to reflect on the journey of Ryans Cleaning over the last four decades, he said “Féile was where it really all began! That’s when we saw the opportunity and a gap in the market for a professional event cleaning business and we hit the ground running. Seeing Aisling and her team cleaning up Electric Picnic, 21 years after we first took on the contract just shows we’re still the best in the business. I’m very proud to see Aisling leading the company forward with the same core values myself and my wife Phil built it on; hard work, quality, innovation and care for both people and the environment, those values are so important to us all. To be standing strong at the top of our game 40 years later is thanks to our loyal clients, staff, family and the many supporters who have championed us along the way.”
Ryans Cleaning has been part of Ireland’s live event story for four decades. They’re a trusted partner that ensures the show goes on, long after the music stops. A company that dominates the market with a wide range of diverse clients including Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin Zoo and 3 Arena. From a sporting venue perspective Croke Park, Punchestown, Limerick, Leopardstown, Galway, The Curragh, Tipperary and Kilbeggan racecourses are amongst their valued horse racing clients. They also have an impressive portfolio in the UK including British Summer Time in London’s Hyde Park, Latitude, Reading, Leeds and Creamfields Music Festivals to mention but a few.
The post EP clean up was stalled for a short window today to mark the significant milestone as the team reduced from 100 personnel to 15 onsite for the remainder of the operation. Now that most of the clean-up is completed, they will redeploy the majority of their team from Stradbally to other gigs where they will start a fresh and clean up all over again.