Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd, was founded in 1994 by Brian and Breda Conneely, with its office based in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. The company also has a plant maintenance facility, together with a large storage yard and gravel pit in Ballinasloe.
Recently, Declan Murphy – Company Director at Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd – took time to talk to Building Ireland to describe how they’ve continued to develop and grow through the good times and the bad.
“We have, from the beginning always worked for Local Authorities and Semi State bodies, Irish Rail, Bord Na Mona, ESB and various County Councils. Even in the Celtic Tiger era, we continued to tender and win public works contracts. This in effect cushioned us from the recession in 2008 and it was not until 2011 / 2012 that we felt the effect of the downturn in turnover due to significant cuts in public expenditure, particularly Irish Rail, our main customer,” Declan stated.
“We then decided to work hard on expanding our client base, but with little or no private investment in the industry, we still had to look at Government contracts. We began to work with Irish Prisons in the Dublin area, the Department of Education & Skills (DoES), Waterways Ireland to name a few, while continuing to service our established clients.”
Another major step forward for the company came in May 2015, when it attained ISO 9001:2008 in Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001:2004 in Environmental Management Systems and ISO 18001:2007 Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems.
This was achieved with great assistance from Sean Murphy and JJ Sheil in our own organisation.
“This was a tremendous achievement for the company,” Declan said. “It took a lot of hard work from staff to achieve all three awards but the benefits have been two-fold. First of all, we have improved internal procedures in the company.
“Our systems of work and procedures have introduced many benefits in how the company as a whole is run and managed. Our environmental management, policies, our treatment and handling of construction waste has been very beneficial in both reducing waste costs and increasing the recycling of materials all of which contributes to a cleaner and more efficient work environment.
“And of course our ISO 18001 in Safety emphasises the importance of welfare and safety to our staff and employees, to our clients and the general public.
“The second benefit is that we now stand out amongst our competitors. In the current age of pre-qualification having ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 is a big benefit for a company like us. I believe that it had a significant impact on our recent success in being selected on a number of building and civil engineering frameworks for the DAA in Dublin Airport and Shannon Commercial Properties in Shannon Airport. Dublin Airport is expanding at a rapid rate and the DAA recognise this and have a number of significant capital projects underway and about to start. The benefits of this for us are that there is a significant volume of work for us in that sector. We are currently finishing our first project with the construction of new retail outlets and washroom facilities for the DAA at Pier 1, Terminal 1.”
Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd has always prided itself on its “hands-on” management approach to clients and projects alike. The senior staff Colin O’Connell, John Mitchell, JJ Sheil and Declan Flannery, have been with the company for a long time. This continuity within the management of the company, with Brian Conneely in the background, is something that clients appreciate.
The company’s approach to completing projects with an emphasis on quality has resulted in the successful completion of significant projects in the recent past. This includes: Lough Boora’s Visitor Centre, carparks and trails for Bord Na Mona.
One of the very first commercial Passiv Haus projects in Ireland was built for Irish Rail at the Portlaoise Train Drivers Accommodation Building. The company have also completed Flood Defence Works in Ballinasloe for OPW and Galway County Council. Together with numerous projects for Irish Rail.
“At the moment we are completing the first ever NZeB primary school in Aughrim, Ballinasloe Co. Galway for the DoES. “NZeB” stands for Nearly Zero Energy and we started this in late November 2016 to be finished by the end of August 2017,” Declan outlined.
“We are very excited about this project and it is receiving great publicity – it is the first of its kind in Ireland and we are delighted to be involved in this contract. Because of its complexity and innovation in design we are working very closely with the Department’s Design Team to deliver this project.”
Other notable projects worth mentioning are: Oranmore Train Station in Galway; the new Transmission Building for 2RN (RTE) in Maghera, Co. Clare; Two, four classroom structures and associated carparks and play areas in Firhouse Dublin for the DoES; the N80 Stradbally Road and Fielbrook Junction Improvement Works for Laois County Council and Slieve Corbally Overbridge for Irish Rail in Co. Roscommon.
Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd are also currently carrying out civil works on the first Lofar Telescope/Astronomy Station in Ireland for Trinity College at Birr Castle.
The Office Staff have many years’ experience; Nuala Barrett, Mary O’Rourke, Mary Naughton and Collette Donnellan. Engineering staff members include Alan McGuire, Keelan Headd, Calvin Martyn, Kieran Coughlan and Conor Flynn.
Mark Conneely looks after tendering for Maintenance Contracts and the Company still carries out maintenance for Irish Rail and other Clients.
The company has a very good relationship with suppliers and subcontractors and has respected that relationship down through the years.
Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd has a large array of Plant & Equipment and an excellent workshop and yard in Ballinasloe. The business has completed many sheet-piling projects using their own piling equipment and the most notable contracts are the flood wall in Ballinasloe and projects for Irish Rail in Greystones, Foxford and Arklow.
More information on the company can be obtained on the website conneelybuilders.com
Having successfully traded through a very tough recession, Brian Conneely & Co. Ltd is now in the process of setting up a regional office in the Dublin area to cater for the increased workload in Dublin and the surrounding environs.
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, June 2017, Vol 3 No 5
