Aoife Corcoran of John Paul Construction was thrilled to win the ‘Rising Star of the Year – Contractor’ category at the 2026 Women In Construction Awards which were held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry on June 11 last.
It was a proud moment for the 23-year-old site engineer from Co. Offaly who has blazed a trail in a male-dominated industry over the past two years to become a key part of the John Paul Construction team. The Women in Construction Awards celebrate the most innovative individuals and companies driving excellence in Ireland’s construction sector, and Aoife’s success reflects her exceptional leadership, ambition and determination.
The judges commended Aoife “for being a valued team member operating in a difficult and complex sector, ” and also noted that “her community involvement was particularly praiseworthy and important.” Furthermore, they described the young professional “as a true star, and worthy finalist and winner.”
Aoife joined John Paul Construction 2024 after graduating from University of Limerick with a BSc in Construction Management & Engineering, and cut her teeth on the new Dexcom Medical Devices facility in Athenry, Co. Galway before taking up her current post on the Donore project in St Teresa’s Gardens, Dublin 8.
The Dexcom Medical Devices facility is a state-of-the-art manufacturing and office development delivered over a 25-month programme, and includes a highly technical production environment with cleanrooms, supporting laboratory and engineering spaces alongside a four-storey office building. As Dexcom’s first manufacturing facility outside the US, the project represents a significant milestone for the company’s global expansion. The new facility is developing and manufacturing real time continuous glucose monitoring systems, supporting diabetes management and improving patient outcomes globally.
This project was particularly important to John Paul Construction as it reflected the Tier 1 contractor’s capability in delivering complex, high specification life sciences facilities, with a strong focus on quality, safety and programme certainty.
The Donore project is a major residential development delivering 550 new homes across four apartment blocks, along with high quality public realm, landscaped courtyards and community infrastructure to Dublin 8, adjacent to the historic Liberties. It is being delivered by the LDA and Dublin City Council (DCC).
“I was equally surprised and delighted to receive the ‘Rising Star’ award,” Aoife modestly says.
“I was up against some very talented young women who are also making their mark in construction. To gain recognition like this so early in my career will only spur me on. I would like to thank everyone in John Paul for their support and encouragement. In particular, I would like to thank our quality manager Claire Cox for her support and belief in me over the last two years.
“I’m also very grateful for the support I’ve received from my parents Matt and Orla, sister Emma and boyfriend Rob. They always supported me in anything I did. I enjoy every minute of working for such a great company and have learned so much from being on site. The Dexcom project gave me a great start and I’m now working on the precast element of Donore, which is another exciting project that is due for completion in December 2027.”
Aoife adds: “John Paul Construction actively promotes women in construction and this is reflected in the fact there are nine female engineers working on my site. It’s still a small number compared to men, but it’s definitely trending upwards.”
Hailing from Ballinagar outside Tullamore, Aoife attended Tullamore College before studying Construction Management & Engineering for four years. Within four months of leaving University of Limerick, she was working as a graduate engineer with John Paul Construction.
“Even though I have no family background in it, I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in construction,” she explains.
“I always had a love for DIY and in secondary school, I loved the practical subjects like construction, metalwork, engineering and technical graphics… anything that involved creating things. It just seemed to come naturally to me. I still have a lot to learn and look forward to continuing my career progression with John Paul Construction.”
Established in 1949, John Paul Construction is one of Ireland’s leading building firms with a long-standing reputation for integrity, innovation, professionalism and excellence. With offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway, London, Amsterdam, Riyadh and Bahrain, the main contractor has the scale and resources to deliver large and complex projects. John Paul Construction is renowned for achieving excellence in quality, innovation and delivery while providing clients with a level of service that exceeds expectations. As a value-driven company, it is passionate about delivering enhanced value at all stages in the construction process and working collaboratively with all project stakeholders.
John Paul Construction is a leading international specialist in construction, infrastructure and fit-out with a portfolio of major projects for national and global clients across all sectors. Every project is an opportunity for the team to Go Further | Build Smarter for their clients. The company has forged its reputation for uncompromising quality and service by delivering excellence across diverse sectors, using industry-leading technology and dynamic, modern construction techniques.
John Paul Construction boasts comprehensive expertise across all sectors, including Data Centres, Pharma/Life Sciences, Industrial, Healthcare, Commercial & Retail, Fitout, Residential & Student Accommodation, Tourism & Leisure, Public, Transport, Energy/Renewables and Civil Infrastructure.
John Paul Construction is more than just a contractor – it is a construction partner which takes great pride in being good people to do business with. Furthermore, the multi-award-winning company is tireless in its pursuit of excellence, always looking for ways to improve performance.
John Paul Construction – Go Further | Build Smarter.
John Paul Construction
The Termini Building,
3 Arkle Road,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18,
D18 C9C5.
Telephone: +353 (0) 1 215 6100
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.johnpaul.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, October 2026, Vol 12 No 11
