Ashbury BrandAn Irish paper bag manufacturer — genuinely, since 1948
Plenty of packaging websites say “Irish”. Very few mean a factory in Ireland with paper on the machines and people on the floor. This page is about the difference — and why it matters when you're choosing who makes your bags.
What “made in Ireland” actually means
Most paper bags sold in Ireland are manufactured overseas, shipped here in containers, and rebranded by the company that sells them. There's nothing illegal about that — but an “Irish supplier” and an “Irish manufacturer” are different businesses, with different lead times, different accountability and a different answer when something goes wrong.
Ashbury Brand bags are made by J.F. Walsh (Roscrea) Ltd — an Irish registered company (CRO 138291) — at our factory on Ashbury Road, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. The paper is converted on our own machines and printed in-house with water-based inks. When we say made in Ireland, we mean this postcode.
Three generations of the same trade
The business was founded in 1948 and has made paper bags in Roscrea ever since — through three generations, for Irish grocers, chemists, chippers and bakeries whose counters we've supplied for decades. If you've collected a prescription or a bag of chips in Ireland, there's a fair chance it came in one of ours.
Why buying from the manufacturer matters
- Lead times measured in days, not shipping schedules. Stock lines dispatch next day from Roscrea. When you run low, the bags travel down the road — not through a port. No six-week container waits, no re-ordering blind in bulk.
- Accountability you can visit. We can tell you exactly what's in every bag — the paper, the inks, the certifications — in writing, because we made it. With the PFAS rules arriving in August 2026, that traceability is becoming a legal necessity, not a nicety (our PFAS guide explains).
- Custom printing without middlemen. Your logo is printed in-house with water-based flexo at low minimum runs — the quote comes from the people running the press, so a genuinely branded bag is within reach of a single shop, not just the chains.
- Sizes made for Irish counters. The traditional chipper sizes, the A–D pharmacy range, counter bags matched to how Irish shops actually trade (all explained in our size guide) — not approximations from an import catalogue.
- Fewer road and sea miles in every pack. Bags manufactured in Tipperary and delivered across Ireland have a far shorter journey to your counter than anything arriving by container — and they support manufacturing jobs in the midlands while they're at it.
The paper itself
Every bag is made from FSC® and PEFC certified paper, is 100% recyclable, and is 100% PFAS-free — our greaseproof papers achieve their grease resistance mechanically, not with fluorochemical coatings. We're Repak members, and we'll put any of it in writing for your own records on request.
Five questions to ask any “Irish” bag supplier
- Where is the factory? Not the office, not the warehouse — the machines. If the answer is vague, you have your answer.
- Can I visit it? We're on Ashbury Road, Roscrea, and the kettle works.
- Who prints the bags? In-house printing means one accountable party for the whole job; brokered printing means your deadline depends on someone your supplier has never met.
- Can you confirm PFAS compliance in writing? From August 2026 this is the law for food-contact packaging. A manufacturer can answer in one email.
- What happens when I run low mid-week? The honest answer from an importer involves a container. Ours involves a van.