A TIPPERARY manufacturer of religious candles has won its first US order which was placed by New York’s venerable St Patrick’s Cathedral.

St Killian’s Candle Company won the deal with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland and it was marked at an event after St Patrick’s Day Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral yesterday.

The order is for the company’s new smokeless candles which are seen as a cleaner, safer and more cost-effective alternative to traditional candles.

As part of its activities in the US to tie in with St Patrick’s Day earlier this week Enterprise Ireland arranged for 20 Irish technology firms to pitch their products to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Senior technology executives from the bank provided a briefing on the company’s future technology needs.

Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions with 57 million customers and 5,900 retail branches.