Down through the decades, Duane Construction have built and renovated some of the most iconic buildings in Galway, including the Bal Bar, Galway Bay FM’s studios, Aran Sweater Market, the Angler’s Rest Hotel and a host of luxury private dwellings across the city and county. We touched base with founder and proprietor, Seán Duane, whose passion for delivering quality construction solutions precedes him.
When renowned Galway contractor Seán Duane takes on a building project – be it a new build or refurbishment, residential or commercial – he always sets out to make a statement through the quality of the work, which is invariably striking and cognisant of the historical significance and context of said building. He achieves this goal each and every time and thus Duane Construction are held in high regard both near and far for the superior quality of their work.
Attention to the keenest detail is a trademark of every project undertaken, combined with genuine passion and expertise for the skilled craft of construction, not to mention an ability to deliver both traditional and contemporary building techniques – or a combination of both, if required. Seán adopts a bespoke approach to each project to meet the specific requirements of that job, resulting in optimal results every time. Little wonder Duane Construction have collected countless prestigious industry awards, having been responsible for some of the most complex, challenging and successful projects completed in Galway city and county
Although he established Duane Construction alongside his wife, Mary, in 1989, Seán has been involved in construction for 50 years now, having first turned up on site as a wide-eyed 16-year-old fresh out of school. He has remained hands-on since then, his passion for building and determination to improve himself not diminishing one bit over the ensuing decades. Indeed, to the contrary, if anything it has intensified!
“I started working with my father 50 years ago and this is what I’ve been doing ever since,” the amiable Galway contractor reflects. “I left school the day I finished my Inter Cert; I went shovelling concrete that same day and haven’t stopped. My health is okay, thankfully, and my mind is always active, so I can’t complain. I like to take a proactive part in it and I’m happy when I’m on site in my work clothes. Suits don’t do it for me – in fact I hate to see those shiny shoes and suits turning up on site. It’s going good – I have a wife and two children and a nice home and what more could you want?”
When Seán is working for a client – on a residential or commercial project – he takes that responsibility personally and invests himself into the work to ensure an end result that is of the highest possible standards. “A house is the biggest investment most people are going to make. They put a serious amount of money into it and in return you have to be prepared to put your heart and soul into it. It’s not just a building – it’s a home for a family. We build to last and our work has to stand up for 60 years.
“People are taking out massive mortgages to fund the building of their homes and you have to have an ambition to do it right. This is where people are putting down their roots, raising their families. It protects them from the wind and rain and is their sanctuary from the world. It’s such an important undertaking and you can’t let them down. This is the least anyone should expect and when you see something like the mica scandal in Donegal it would break your heart. My heart really goes out to all the people affected by that – something like that should never have happened. It’s just cruel beyond belief.”
The Duane name is synonymous with construction excellence not just in Galway but across the West of Ireland and even on the other side of the Atlantic. Seán hails from a family of eleven children – seven boys and four girls. He and his brothers were born into building and followed in the footsteps of their father. He learned a great deal from his late brother Tony, who did a lot of building around Portumna, while the late Larry Duane was based in Boston as a builder in his latter years. At present, Vincent operates out of the home place in Tynagh (Vincent Duane Ltd.), Michael is based in Castlebar (Michael Duane Builders (Castlebar) Ltd.) while Joseph is building in Boston.
In 2016, at the 34th Irish Concrete Society Awards, which recognise excellence in both design and construction in concrete, Duane Construction’s work on Canal House, Galway was honoured. According to the jury: “Concrete is successfully used in this extension of a 1920s townhouse with very challenging site conditions. The boundaries between inside and out are blurred using the plasticity of concrete to create sculptural space and forms that are both functional and beautiful. The complexity of the in-situ concrete construction, coupled with the quality of the finish for this relatively small project is a credit to the contractor and adds significantly to the overall built project.”
In 2019, Duane Construction’s efforts were recognised on a national scale when they were nominated in the Conservation Project of the Year category at the prestigious Irish Construction Industry Awards for their magnificent work on Aran Sweater Market in Galway city – a landmark project which had claimed the Heritage and Conservation Award at the 2018 Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards.
The restoration of these five protected structures at the gateway to Galway’s thriving Latin Quarter, ranging in age from medieval to Georgian, was a complex task but Seán and his team, who have accumulated vast experience working with concrete in a conservation context, stunningly harmonised the different buildings and eras into one coherent building while conserving the historical character of each building.
Exemplary craftsmanship is a feature of every Duane Construction project. “I love a good job,” enthuses Seán, who has a real feel for old buildings and has therefore completed a large volume of conservation work and difficult projects. “We are well known in Galway for attention to detail and a tidy finish. We’re renowned for quality and that brings a lot of work our way.”
Construction has been more difficult since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic but Duane Construction are continuing to set the standards even under the most demanding of conditions. “The last few years have been tough in construction and it’s difficult to make money or to break even, but you stay going as best you can,” notes the Galway man. “You just keep going and do your best. It’s not easy to hit deadlines with so many disruptions and the cost of materials has gone up an awful lot – timber, plastic, oil and steel all cost much more than they did a couple of years ago. Anything coming in from England is problematic, so there are challenges for the industry in general.”
Duane Construction generate direct employment for eight men and, including subbies, could have up to 30 men on site on any given day. Recently completed projects include a complete revamp of Lough Atalia Service Station while Seán is in the process of building a restaurant and renovating an old cottage at Blackrock Diving Board, Salthill (another unique and complicated job involving substantial conservation work). The latter was designed by Seán Dockry and Associates, whose office in Middle Street was also built by Duane Construction.
“I built the original Lough Atalia Filling Station in 2008 and we’ve just finished a complete overhaul over the past six months, including a total revamp inside and out as well as a lot of drainage work and a nice wall out the back where goods are coming in.”
Although he espouses the traditional values of construction, Seán Duane is not one to shy away from technology or modern methods of construction. “I’m well switched on,” he confirms. “I have great interest in technology and use Total Station to set out the buildings – it’s a great system. Even though I left school at 16, I embraced technology. Ventilation is a major thing now because modern buildings have to be airtight.”
Seán shares a passion for electricity with his son, Shane, who is currently studying Sustainable Energy at Trinity College while daughter Michelle is a trained accountant and helps in the management of the business. Meanwhile, Mary Duane is a well-known quiz champion who has enjoyed success on well-known television shows, winning RTE’s Where in the World? and reaching the final of Fifteen to One on Channel 4.
Seán has surrounded himself with great workers and none come better recommended than Polish national Adam Malek. “Adam is very loyal, sincere and honest – he’s the best in the world. He came to Ireland in 2005 with nothing and we gave him a job in Oranmore and trained him and he can do anything now. He’s unbelievable. When you have good men on your team you won’t go far wrong.”
The enduring quality of Duane Construction can be witnessed on high-profile landmark projects all over Galway, with new ones appearing all the time. “We did the Galway Bay FM Studio in 1999/2000 in what was an old boiler house for the cotton factory and I got savage free press out of that one from CEO Keith Finnegan,” says Seán. “We did Kinvara Shopping Centre, which was an 18-month programme in 2007-09, with one acres of hollow core flooring in it. That was for John Burke and I’ve also built quite a few houses for his brother, Mike Burke, who owns The Pier Head Restaurant. We’ve done 54 bespoke houses to date for him in Kinvara, twelve of which we finished inside the last twelve months. We also built a crèche in Kinvara in 2009/10.”
After 50 years of sterling service to construction in Galway, there is no sign yet of Seán Duane slowing down. “I’ll keep going for as long as I can because I honestly don’t want to stop,” he concludes. “I don’t drink or smoke and my health is quite good, thank God, so my plan is to stay at it. I still love it as much as I did when I started with my father as a young boy and can’t think of anything better to do.”
Duane Construction Ltd.,
Gortroe,
Ardrahan,
County Galway.
Tel: 087 2594453
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.duaneconstruction.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2022, Vol 8 No 4
