The list of 2025 Irish Construction Industry (ICI) Awards winners includes McCabe Group which has surpassed itself with the successful delivery of a large extension to the Schutz / Gem Plastics plant in its home county of Cavan.
Delivering exceptional construction projects across Ireland and Europe for almost two decades, McCabe Group was delighted to win in the ‘Industrial Project of the Year’ category. The Ballyjamesduff-based main contractor is no stranger to the ICI Awards, having been previously nominated in the ‘Civil Construction Project of the Year’ category two years ago for the Derrylea Bridge Widening Scheme, which was practically on its own doorstep.
Launched in 2014, the ICI Awards recognise, encourage and celebrate original and innovative contractors, businesses, teams, consultants and projects that demonstrate excellence in the built environment.
“We’re thrilled to have won our first Irish Construction Industry Award. We had a great night celebrating. The ICI Awards are always a great night out,” McCabe Group founder and managing director Declan McCabe enthuses.
“Schutz, who recently acquired Gem Plastics, were delighted with the finished product, so much so that they asked us to build a new €12 million, 38,000 sq. ft. plant and upgrade their existing facility in Killala, Co. Mayo. We enjoy an excellent relationship with them, just as we do with all of our clients, suppliers, subcontractors and design teams.
“This award is no more than our amazing team deserves. We employ 96 highly-skilled people directly and a further 150 on a subcontract basis. They take great pride in their work and are mostly local which I believe has been key to our growth and success.
“We’ve evolved into a multi-faceted building company covering the residential, industrial, data centre, education and, more recently, healthcare sectors. One of our biggest projects at the moment is St Christopher’s Hospice, which is a €13.5 million specialist hospice facility in Cavan.
“It will include a 16-bed inpatient unit to cater for patients requiring specialist palliative and end-of-life care. It’s our first HSE job and hopefully the first of many.”
The award-winning Schutz / Gem Plastics project consisted of an extension to the existing factory unit in Killyvanny, Ballyhaise. The extension included a production and plant area with an adjoining two-storey office block. It was connected to the existing warehouse building via a first-floor materials transfer bridge. There was also an extension to the existing loading bay, provision of a bicycle shelter, external plant, security hut, signage and all associated ancillary siteworks. The project was delivered to the required specification and quality demanded by the client, within budget and to the highest standard of Health & Safety possible.
Completed in 14 months, the extension was valued at €8.5 million, is 41,900 metres in width and 54,660 metres in height. The project team was made up of client Schutz / Gem Plastics, designers and engineers Michael Fitzpatrick Architects, Alan Traynor Consulting Engineers, Renaissance Engineering (M&E) and KSN (cost consultants) along with McCabe Group and its contracts manager Dessie Sharkey, project manager Cillian McCann, site manager Dominic McCabe and commercial manager Barry McArdle.
The foundation for the success of the project lay in how McCabe Group structured and initiated its delivery. From the outset, the main contractor prioritised clearly defining and agreeing on the key parameters of quality, cost and time, ensuring full alignment with the expectations of both Gem Plastics and the design team.
Although much of the design was already in place prior to its appointment, McCabe Group was able to contribute value-engineered solutions that optimised both cost and constructability—ultimately improving project efficiency without compromising on quality.
Furthermore, a well-structured management approach was critical to the project’s success. To this end, McCabe Group deployed a dedicated site management team, supported remotely by its head office, to ensure that the extension was delivered safely, efficiently and with minimal disruption.
The site management strategy was underpinned by McCabe Group’s proven management systems, honed through decades of experience on similar industrial and live environment projects. The family business applied lessons learned from previous complex builds to create a robust and flexible methodology tailored to this specific site and client needs.
Established as McCabe Masonry in 2007 and rebranded in 2018 to reflect the company’s growth and diversification from a stone masonry specialist to offer a full range of bridge rehabilitation, civil engineering and commercial and residential general contracting services, McCabe Group today fulfils a comprehensive portfolio of main contractor, project management, design, value engineering, stone masonry, fit out, clean rooms, site services, restoration and conservation, and traffic management and planning services. Its integrated team has managed design & build projects using BIM 360 for established clients such as UCT, Lakeland Dairies and Abbott.
A stonemason and bricklayer like his father before him, Declan McCabe set up the business with just three employees and – through diversifying and moving with the times, always with the emphasis on quality workmanship, customer service and the keenest attention to the most exacting detail – now fronts one of the largest building firms in Co. Cavan.
“We pride ourselves on providing employment to the local community and surrounding areas, we also apply this when working in other parts of the county and country. We are heavily involved in the community through sponsorship of our local GAA club Crosserlough, which a lot of our employees are members and players of,” says Declan who, at 39, is an old head on young shoulders.
“We are firm believers that you are only as good as the people you employ which for us consists of excellent contracts managers, project managers, quantity surveyors, a great team in the office and skilled workers on site. We look forward to diversifying further and taking on bigger and more challenging projects in the future.”
McCabe Group
Derrylea,
Ballyjamesduff,
Co. Cavan.
Telephone: 049 854 5011
Email: [email protected]
Web: mccabegroup.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2026, Vol 12 No 1
