UK construction and services company Carillion, which is involved in six projects in Ireland, has collapsed after banks refused to lend it any more money.
This throws hundreds of major projects in doubt and brings down one of the UK government's most important suppliers.
The company is involved in six projects in Ireland, including five schools and the Carlow Institute of Further Education.
It was responsible for the design, build, finance and maintenance of the six buildings on four sites in Meath, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford.
Carillion was forced into compulsory liquidation after costly contract delays and a downturn in new business.
This prompted a string of profit warnings and a first-half loss of more than £1 billion.
"In recent days we have been unable to secure the funding to support our business plan and it is therefore with the deepest regret that we have arrived at this decision," Chairman Philip Green said.
"This is a very sad day for Carillion, for our colleagues, suppliers and customers that we have been proud to serve over many years," Mr Green added.
Carillion's creditors include RBS, Santander UK, HSBC and others. It has debt and liabilities of £1.5 billion.
Employing 43,000 people around the world, including 20,000 in Britain, the 200-year-old company runs public services from hospitals to train lines and ministry of defence sites.
It has also built construction projects such as London's Royal Opera House, the Suez Canal road tunnel and Toronto's Union Station.
In July last year it won contracts to build Britain's new High Speed 2 rail line, a major project that will better connect London with the north of England.
Tension around Carillion has been ratcheting up for weeks, forcing the UK government to hold a string of crisis meetings to discuss how they should respond.
Concerns over school projects after Carillion collapse
Unions have argued that taxpayers should not bail out the failing company.
Carillion said the government would provide the necessary funding to maintain the public services carried out by its staff, while PricewaterhouseCoopers will oversee the process.
