Operating out of Bantry, Co Cork, Droumleigh Construction Ltd is recognised as of the premier building contractors in west Cork having become a proven specialist operating within the healthcare sector. The company has numerous on-going projects around Co Cork and here Building Ireland profiles this well-established firm which is fast-approaching 25 years in business.
Business is good these days at Droumleigh Construction Ltd and no doubt founder and Managing Director Damian O’Neill, along with the rest of the team in Bantry, mean to try and keep things that way right through to next year.
Operating with 11 full-time staff from its premises on Bridge St, the company has earned itself a golden reputation for delivering a succession of professional, high-quality building projects, invariably bringing excellence and unbeatable workmanship to bear on a wide range of residential, commercial, industrial, leisure, hotel, education and healthcare work.
Since ‘Day One’, the objective at Droumleigh Construction has been to carry out projects for clients to the highest standards and, to that end, it has grown a golden reputation among clients that developed through delivering professional and high-quality building projects time and time again.
Rewind back to the beginning for Damian O’Neill’s venture and you’ll find a company which had been focusing very much on residential projects as it was coming up.
As the years rolled by, the company became more and more immersed in jobs in the healthcare sector and it still very much remains the case to this day.
In focusing on some major projects for the HSE, Droumleigh Construction kept busy with projects throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as a result.
It’s glad to report that same rate of business continues to this day, with several projects in the works around the Cork region for the company at the moment.
Quantity Surveyor Kevin Johnson has been part of the team in Bantry for over a decade now and his knowledge of the HSE has been very much essential along the way.
Kevin is one of a number of key personnel that has been with the company on a long-term basis and, as aforementioned, his knowledge has helped Droumleigh Construction to both obtain and carry out healthcare projects to the highest standards.
Financial Controller Brid O’Connor is another integral member of staff which has been part of the team in Bantry on a long-term basis, having started with the company over 20 years ago.
Of course, the business itself is fast-approaching the quarter century mark since its establishment, and the clear question to ask is: What has been the secret to it continued success in that time?
How has a construction business, which started from humble beginnings, developed into what is now recognised as premier contractor in west Cork with an excellent reputation among its clientele?
Speaking to this publication previously, Droumleigh Construction’s owner and founder Damian O’Neill pointed to the fact that the company has remained at a medium size for a purpose, and that it pursues projects as competitively as any of the rest out there.
“I kind of prefer to have one or two good sized jobs and then we can concentrate on and get in and get out fast and there’s no messing around,” the Managing Director outlined.
He added: “We don’t have massive overheads. We’d be a small enough company, so we can tender competitively. If we’re interested in a job, we go fairly competitive for it.”
Having captained Cork to the All-Ireland U21 football championship title 30 years ago this year, Damian himself undoubtedly got into the construction game with ambitions of success.
He took a hands-on approach, holding a strong carpentry background, and that same practice is still carried through to this day, as he endeavours to make sure every aspect of every project is completed to the very highest standard.
Right now, the team at Droumleigh Construction is immersed in a couple of different projects, including apartments in Ballydehob for Cork County Council and on-going refurbishment works at the HSE offices in Cork city.
The company has recently completed 12 units of social housing in Schull where, once again, the project was completed to the highest standard for the client.
For Damian O’Neill, it would’ve been the vision back in 2000 when he first set-up Droumleigh Construction.
It took hard work and endeavour to get it where it is today and, through its excellent team of staff in Bantry, the company has managed to continuously carry out top quality projects over the years and develop into the success story that it now is.
As the quarter century since inception of the company fast-approaches for Droumleigh Construction, perhaps these words from Damian himself best sum up exactly what the business is all about:
“I’m on site six days a week myself and I wear work clothes and steel-capped boots – not a suit. I served my time as a carpenter with Murnane & O’Shea in Bantry and it’s definitely advantageous having that qualification as the finishing out of the hospitals and Primary Care Units is always completed to a very high standard. It’s important to get that right because that’s the calling card you leave behind each time,” he proudly stated.
Droumleigh Construction Ltd
Bridge Street,
Bantry,
Co Cork
Tel: 027 52 822
Email: dconstlt@gmail.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January, Vol 11 No 1
