Coming from Kilkee, Co Clare, Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd is a heavy civil engineering business which has been delivering services to the private and public sectors across Ireland and the UK for more than two decades now. Building Ireland spoke with founder and proprietor Gearoid O’Callaghan to hear more about the company’s large-scale projects at present.
Business is good these days at Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd and the plan for Gearoid O’Callaghan and the team is to try and keep things that way for the foreseeable.
Operating with up on 30 full-time staff, the company has carved out a solid reputation as one of Ireland’s trusted heavy civil engineering specialists.
For more than two decades, it has delivered large-scale services to both private and public sector clients across Ireland and the UK, quietly building a business grounded in reliability, technical expertise and long-standing relationships.
At the helm is founder and proprietor Gearoid O’Callaghan, who established the company 21 years ago. From modest beginnings, the business has grown into a significant operator in the plant hire, drilling, blasting and rock processing sector.
Building Ireland caught up with the Clare native to discuss the ins and outs of Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd and its hopes going forward.
“Business is good. We’re tipping away here and things are busy, thankfully,” he outlined.
“Our current projects here are the Adare bypass and the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy project. We’re doing the drilling, blasting and rock processing on both of those projects. They’re the major projects that we have on at the moment and there are other small ones between quarries, housing developments and that, but they’re the bigger ones.”
The scale and technical demands of such projects underline the company’s capability in specialist groundworks.
Drilling and blasting require precision planning, strict adherence to safety standards, and highly skilled operators. Once blasted, rock must be processed efficiently to keep broader construction timelines on track — an area where Atlantic Plant Hire’s investment in modern machinery proves critical.
While large infrastructure projects form the backbone of the company’s current workload, smaller residential developments also feature prominently.
“The housing developments that we’re working at the moment are in Tipperary and Ennis,” said Gearoid.
“We were also on one in Waterford there recently where we were doing a bit of rock breaking and processing as well. We’d be in a few different quarries as well then.”
This diversity of projects — from national road schemes to regional housing developments and quarry operations — reflects a business model built on flexibility. By operating across multiple sectors, the company mitigates risk while maintaining a steady workflow.
A defining feature of Atlantic Plant Hire’s operations is its ongoing investment in plant and machinery. In a sector where productivity and safety are closely tied to equipment quality, staying ahead technologically is essential.
In recent years, the company has significantly upgraded its fleet.
“We got a couple of new trucks. We got one this year and one last year,” said Gearoid.
Among the additions is a Scania 770s acquired last year, followed by a new 770s Bullnose model this year — high-performance vehicles designed to handle heavy loads across demanding terrain.
The company has also invested in new low loaders, strengthening its logistical capacity to transport plant and machinery efficiently between sites.
Excavation capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of 2 new Komatsu PC360 Excavators, another new CAT 352 Excavator and a Hyundai 220 Excavator. These machines play a crucial role in large-scale rock handling and processing operations, enabling the team to meet strict deadlines while maintaining high safety standards.
“We have a large fleet of dumptrucks also, running 7 x 40 tonne dump trucks, 3 x 45 tonne dump trucks and 3 x 25 tonne dumptrucks enabling us to move rock, or complete muck shifts.
Screening technology has also been modernised.
“We got a couple of new screeners last year as well, which were 2 new Powerscreen 1400 Warriors,” Gearoid noted.
The Warrior 1400 models are well-regarded within the industry for their versatility and efficiency in processing aggregates, sand and gravel.
For Atlantic Plant Hire, these upgrades are not simply about expansion — they are about maintaining standards.
“They may not all be additions, but they’d be upgrades. We’ve always kept the machines upgraded here, so we’re adding and always upgrading.”
This philosophy of continual reinvestment ensures that the company remains competitive, capable of handling increasingly complex contracts while delivering consistent results for clients.
In heavy civil engineering, where contracts are often awarded based on cost, performance history and technical capability, reputation remains invaluable. For Gearoid, maintaining strong client relationships is fundamental to the company’s longevity.
So, what has been the secret behind the success of Atlantic Plant Hire over the past two decades now?
“We give them (customers) the personal touch and like to make sure that the project is delivered correctly. If you don’t keep your customers happy than you’re not going to hang on to them, We are hands on, Catriona, my sister, runs the company office and is head of Health & Safety too, so between us we are hands on with the running of the company” said the company’s founder and proprietor.
That philosophy has evidently served the firm well. Repeat business and long-term partnerships have underpinned its growth, allowing it to secure high-profile infrastructure contracts while continuing to support local developments.
Despite its involvement in major projects and significant equipment investments, Atlantic Plant Hire maintains a pragmatic outlook on the future.
There is no grand expansion plan or aggressive scaling strategy — rather, a steady commitment to maintaining standards and building on established foundations.
“I think if we keep going the way that we’re going, then I think we’ll be happy enough,” Gearoid stated.
In an industry that can be cyclical and unpredictable, such measured optimism speaks volumes. The company’s sustained investment in machinery, its diversified project portfolio and its emphasis on client satisfaction position it well for continued stability.
As Ireland’s infrastructure development continues — from road networks to housing and quarry operations — firms like Atlantic Plant Hire play a crucial role behind the scenes. While their work may literally move mountains of rock, their business ethos remains grounded: steady growth, modern equipment and a personal commitment to getting the job done right.
Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd.,
Dough,
Kilkee,
Co Clare.
Tel: 065 7051000
Tel: 087 242 4111
Email: [email protected]
Web: atlanticplanthire.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2026, Vol 12 No 6
Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing
