Based in Cliffoney, Co Sligo, McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd is a company which has become renowned for its excellence in construction services out west. Building Ireland caught up with company co-director Glenn McHugh to hear more about the projects that it’s immersed in at the minute.
It’s 57 years since cousins Liam McHugh and Padraig Gallagher set-up their construction venture in Sligo and today business is perhaps as good as it has ever been with “a constant flow of work coming through the door”.
Those are the words of current company co-director Glenn McHugh who runs McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd alongside his cousin Ross Gallagher.
The two men are the second generation of a family business which today employs a dozen full-time staff from its base in Cliffoney, Co Sligo.
Building Ireland spoke with Glenn McHugh to discuss the ins and outs of the business and what he feels separates it from the competition.
“We do a lot of local work here in North Sligo, Sligo Town, between Sligo Town, Bundoran and the Manorhamilton areas,” he outlined
“That’s the triangle we kind of cover and we’re doing a lot of work around North Sligo for the last three years, particularly in Mullaghmore.”
The Yeats County native added: “Things are going at a fairly steady pace here at the moment. It’s never a dull moment. It’s one job after another, a constant flow of work coming through the door.
“There’s a constant flow of tendering going on at the moment too. So it’s local houses, extensions, retrofits, derelict grants. They’re the bread and butter at the moment.”
A general building contractor with a reputation which is second to none, McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd provides all types of building services and are members of the CIF and CIRI.
The company caters for very small projects, whether it be domestic or commercial, and then on the other end of the scale some of its projects can range up to €1million.
Right now, Glenn, Ross and the team are immersed in a number of different projects in and around Sligo and outside of the county’s borders which are set to keep them busy well into 2026.
“It’s mostly residential that we’re doing at the moment,” said the co-director who has followed in the footsteps of his father in heading up the business with his cousin.
“So we’re building a one-off house and doing one-off extensions for existing houses, retrofits, energy upgrades. We do a good bit of fit-out for office fit-out as well.
“We’re doing the adaptation grants for the Council, and we have quite a lot of work on at the moment with the vacant homes grant. We do HSE work on and off and we do some local schools and businesses.”
Most recently, the company broke ground on a development for the local soccer club in Cliffoney.
Cliffoney Celtic FC play at Mullaghmore Road where they’re now in the process of erecting a new accessible changing room facility and sanitary facilities.
McHugh & Gallagher Builders have been entrusted to deliver the project, and intend to do so expertly within a six-month period give or take.
“We’ve started a project for the local football club here, which is Cliffoney Celtic. We will be providing a new dressing room facility at their pitch in Cliffoney, room and facility,” explained Glenn.
“We started that in July. We had a turn of the sod there that was turned by the local club and representatives.
“So it’s dressing rooms and sanitary facilities, and we’ll be hoping to have that project completed in and around six months.”
All of that considered, the clear question to ask is what has been the secret behind the success of this second-generation construction firm?
How has a small start up with origins dating all the way back to 1968 managed to stand the test of time and continue to hold an excellent reputation amongst clients to this day?
“I suppose we’ve a strong reputation for good work for a long time now,” Glenn stated. “Obviously, my father and his cousin Padraig set-up the company back in the ‘60s and their hard work and effort over the years gave us a good reputation.
“Myself and Ross, who are the two sons, took over the business in 2014 and we’ve tried to keep the high standards going since.”
As for adding more members to what is already an excellent team in place in Cliffoney, Glenn commented: “We’re always looking to add skill to the company but, at the moment, obviously, skill labour is hard to find and we’ve a good crew of lads here. On top of that, we have good subcontractors and we’re dealing with some good repeat clients from architects and engineers that give us a constant line of work.”
Looking at the months ahead for the business and towards another year, the co-director is keen to try and keep things on the present trajectory and gain a couple more new projects along the way.
“We just want to continue the high standard of workmanship and delivery of a good final product for all of our clients. Keeping the clients happy is the name of the game, I suppose. Once they’re happy, we get paid and we’re happy. So it’s a win-win situation going forward.
“We actually have enough work on the books at the moment for well into next year. We’re always looking for new work, but all is good at the moment and I’m sure we will get more in the future,” Glenn concluded.
McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd
Cliffoney,
Co Sligo
Mobile: 087 652 9081
E-mail: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2025, Vol 11 No 12
featured, McHugh & Gallagher Builders
