Founded in 1947, the stakeholders of the Donnelly Motor Group are Terence Donnelly, Raymond Donnelly and Houston Taggart . The group consists of four trading companies and trades from Ballymena, Belfast, Campsie, Dungannon, Enniskillen and Mallusk.
There are 16 manufacturer marques represented among the retail multi-franchise outlets including Mitsubishi (3) Land Rover (1) Nissan (2) Peugeot (2) Toyota (1) Seat (1) VW Passenger Cars (2) VW Commercial Vehicles (3) Citroen (2) Suzuki (1) Renault (3) Honda (1), Isuzu (1), Subaru (1), Daihatsu (1), Motorstores (5) and SsangYong (3).

Heritage and Company Philosophy

The Donnelly Motor Group is recognised as the fastest growing motor group in Northern Ireland. The company first came into being in 1947 as a vehicle repair centre and taxi service based at Church Hill in the village of Caledon on the Tyrone, Armagh border.  The company has since gone from strength to strength with each decade seeing a significant development which has made its contribution to the cumulative growth of the Donnelly Group.

The appointment as a dealer of Austin Motors in 1959 was the first franchise Donnelly bros achieved and proved the foundation of the multi – franchise centres now operating across the province. Sustained growth throughout the 70’s was recognised with the award of the prestigious Land Rover franchise. This much-coveted addition to Donnelly Bros portfolio saw the purchase of the (W.H. Alexander) Rover business in George’s Street, Dungannon, followed in 1984 with the purchase of Dungannon Garages on Thomas Street.

In recognition of the potential of the North West of the province Donnelly Brothers (Terence, Managing Director, and Raymond, Sales Director) formed a partnership with Mr. Houston Taggart operating from Campsie. Co. Derry. The formation of a single dealership, Donnelly & Taggart Rover Campsie, was followed by the development each year of the multi–franchise sites that exists today.  Peugeot, Renault, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Volkswagen (VW), and Nissan are all now housed on the Eglinton site along with the Donnelly & Taggart Campsie Motorstore and offer the customer the most comprehensive range of quality vehicles available on a single site.

Donnelly Bros profile as a leading dealership in the province was realised with their purchase of the Sloss Brothers dealership on the Moy Road, Dungannon. The development of a multi–franchise site in the heart of Mid–Ulster adjacent to the motorway made the company even more accessible to customers throughout the region.  The rapid development of this flagship site was given impetus by the award of the Mitsubishi franchise, Land Rover and the arrival of VW Commercials and Seat in 2002, with Citroen and SsangYong following in 2006.

The extension of Donnelly Bros throughout the province had also led inevitably to their arrival in Belfast.  The success of Donnelly Bros with Mitsubishi at their Dungannon and Campsie outlets led to the award of the franchise in the city area.  After a brief stay in the old GMG Shore Road premises, Donnelly Bros established a state of the art showroom at Mallusk in November 1998, which now houses the largest Mitsubishi dealership in the UK as well as Suzuki and SsangYong.

The arrival of the new century has seen the continued expansion of the Donnelly Motor Group’s involvement in the motor trade. Development in the west of the province was expanded by the further purchase of dealerships in Enniskillen and Derry.  Two established Volkswagen franchises (Modern Motors in Enniskillen and M & G Motors in Campsie) were purchased in December 2001. Donnelly Group expansion and diversification has been dynamic and has brought the company to the forefront of the provinces motor trade.  

In March 2002 with the acquisition of a large private company, (M & N Motors in Enniskillen), the group now added Citroen and Nissan to their portfolio for the first time. The Enniskillen site also now houses Peugeot and SsangYong. These additions and the purchase of an additional three acres have helped to create another multi–franchise site comparable to Dungannon and Campsie. April 2006 heralded the opening of the Donnelly M1 Motorstore in Dungannon, followed by the purchase of the formerly owned Renault (McCosh) Ballymena site in November 2006 (which now houses Renault and Honda) sees the group strategically placed across the province with a comprehensive portfolio of dealerships. Donnelly Motorstore has since opened in Belfast, Enniskillen and Mallusk. In May 2008 the Donnelly Motor Group has recently taken over the previously owned Pat Kirk Renault Enniskillen site on the Sligo road, Enniskillen and the Isuzu, Subaru and Daihatsu site at Apollo Road in Belfast.

The Donnelly Group is in a unique position to satisfy the full range of customer requirements. While the history of the development of the company is characterised by an awareness of the changing needs of an increasing discerning clientele, The Donnelly Group are proud of a company ethos created by Peter and James Donnelly for whom customer satisfaction was paramount.

Since it’s humble beginnings in 1947 the Group’s turnover has grown to over £200m and currently employs over 500 people across the province. Through strategic thinking and hard work, Terence, supported by his brother Raymond (who joined the company in 1979 as Sales Director), together with an enthusiastic and energetic management team have established a thriving business and have contributed significantly to the Northern Ireland economy. The Donnelly Motor Group is now among the 10 biggest mid-market privately owned companies in Northern Ireland (Source: The Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 October 14 2007).

The last 38 years has seen significant development within the group. The group plan was unique and challenging, to provide a high quality integrated model of sales, service and parts with multi-franchise choice across the west of the province, with levels of choice and stock generally only provided by dealerships in urban areas of high population. The group has invested significantly in building, development and training staff at local level to achieve this aim.

The third largest motor group in Northern Ireland, the Donnelly group currently sells approximately 9% of all new cars sold in Northern Ireland and is the largest retailer of 4-wheel drive product in Northern Ireland. Our 60 years of business experience makes a statement that "we will be here for our customers!

The Group has an excellent management structure with a young, vibrant energetic team and is ultimately controlled by Mr Terence Donnelly, Managing Director. UK National manufacturer and motor press awards have been achieved for ‘quality service’, which has been the bedrock of the group’s success.

Terence Donnelly has also been awarded the UTV/Business Eye Motor Trader Personality of the Year Award. Judged by British Airways’ Irish-born Chief Executive Willie Walsh, the award recognises the personality from the motor sector who has made the most significant contribution to the sector as a whole.

Our philosophy:
The simple philosophy on which the company was founded in 1947 remains the aim of the company today – to offer genuine value for money and create high levels of customer satisfaction.