Celebrating 20 years in business in 2025, Fitzgerald Construction in Mallow, County Cork is an exceptional family-run contracting firm that has earned an unrivalled reputation for the consistent delivery of premium quality and high-performance A-rated homes.
Energy-efficient, A-rated homes are all the rage these days, with more and more contractors going down this route, but rather than following trends or jumping on bandwagons, this is an area that Fitzgerald Construction have always focused their attention on. Indeed, one could say that the Cork contractor was ahead of its time when zoning in on high-end futureproofed homes 20 years ago:
“We are noted for A-rated one-off houses and always believed we should be building to an A-rated, energy-efficient standard,” notes Daniel Fitzgerald, who set the business up alongside his first cousin Kieran Fitzgerald in 2005. “There has always been demand for this standard of house and we were lucky in a way that we were ahead of the curve because that helped get us through the recession that hit not long after we started out. I suppose we were also fortunate that we weren’t too long established as well, so we weren’t overly exposed at the time.”
Fitzgerald Construction came through its first major test in not just surviving but thriving through the severe economic downturn that crippled much of the industry following the demise of the mythical Celtic Tiger. Twenty-twenty-five has been a landmark year for the business as it marks their 20th anniversary – a significant milestone?
“It is, especially in this industry. Plenty of hard work and graft has got us to where we are today; it doesn’t happen by accident,” says Daniel. “Kieran and myself had both worked extensively in the industry for many years prior to ’05 and we spotted an opportunity to come home to North Cork and set up our own company.
“He had been based in Dublin before that, while I had worked in various locations, including Kildare, Galway and Clare.”
The decision to return home to Mallow was an inspired one and the creation of Fitzgerald Construction has proven to be a resounding success. Daniel and Kieran are hands-on directors who are both office-based and on-site every day. From the get-go, there has been a huge emphasis on delivering a local service and supporting the local community:
“We see ourselves as a local business and we like to support local people – in order to do that, you have to be seen on the ground,” Daniel confirms. “We use all local subbies and suppliers, and that would be very much in our DNA.”
In terms of delivering fantastic, bespoke, one-off homes, completed to the most exacting standards, utilising industry-leading workmanship, Fitzgerald Construction have developed a wonderful reputation locally and don’t have to travel outside the general North Cork catchment area, where Kieran and Daniel have built a spectacular portfolio of striking, dream homes that invariably exceed client expectations.
“There has always been strong demand here for high-end homes and we’ve tapped into that. Fitzcon Homes, which builds energy-efficient A-rated homes, is the main part of our business. Under the Fitzcon Homes banner, we’d have up to 35 one-off new houses on the go at any given time during the year. In addition to that, we do some general building and are also on Cork County Council’s maintenance framework.”
While Fitzcon Homes recently built a small development of five units, they prefer to stick to bespoke one-off houses, each of which presents a unique challenge – something Daniel and Kieran enjoy immensely. Both directors boast construction qualifications, with Kieran holding a Degree in Construction Management while Daniel is a qualified Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer.
“I think it was our educations that showed us that A-rated homes was the way to go,” Daniel reflects. “There weren’t too many others at it when we started building these homes 20 years ago – then when more and more people started to see the benefits of A-rated homes a decade or so ago, we were in a strong place because we already had the CV.”
As for the key to Fitzgerald Construction’s success over the past 20 years and counting, Daniel states: “Listening to the client’s brief is vitally important. Our success is down to our teamwork and the combined effort of every member of the team. We have a fantastic skilled team who are dedicated to delivering on the client’s brief and helping them achieve their dream home. We never compromise on quality and always deliver a high-quality home with the emphasis on customer care through every stage of the process from start to finish.
“Service is everything. My parents started a furniture and flooring company in Mallow in 1979 and it’s still thriving today on the back of looking after people. If you leave behind a good finished product and give a good service in line with the customer’s needs and expectations, that will drive your business on.”
Fitzgerald Construction generates direct full-time employment all year around for an in-house team of 30, as well as having approximately twice as many subcontractors on site at any given time. It goes without saying that Daniel is delighted with how the company has performed in its first two decades in business:
“It’s all good and we are busy. We have great staff, who make it all happen, and great suppliers,” he concludes. “We’re satisfied with the market share we have because at this size we can provide exactly the service we want to provide. We won’t be seeking to expand as we’re happy with the quality of the product and the service we are providing and we don’t want to compromise it.
“With good staff, good clients and good suppliers, we are more than happy with the way things are. Reputation means everything to us so our main objective is to make sure we preserve the great reputation we’ve built up. We’re known from building excellent A-rated homes and will continue to provide the same service, with high-quality workmanship guaranteed on all projects.”
Fitzgerald Construction,
No.1 First Floor,
Bridge Street,
Mallow,
County Cork.
Tel: 022 58312
Email: [email protected]
Web: fitzgeraldconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February 2026, Vol 12 No 2
featured, Fitzgerald Construction
