Over the decades, Donegal-based Henry McGinley & Sons Ltd. has established itself as an industry leading contractor, specialising in the design (with our own in house Engineers), fabrication and erection of CE-marked structural steel as well as roofing systems (cladding, PVC and aluminium standing seam). Building Ireland touched base with James McGinley to find out more about this in-demand, second-generation family business.
Synonymous with high-quality, value-added structural steel and roofing systems, Henry McGinley & Sons has certainly come a long way since the business was established in Milford, County Donegal in 1993 by the eponymous Henry and his wife Elizabeth.
Initially delivering engineering and structural steel solutions to the building and agricultural sectors in County Donegal, Henry McGinley & Sons – incorporated as a limited company in 1999 – has developed into one of the leading suppliers of commercial and industrial structural steel and roofing systems in the North West of Ireland.
Combining strong customer focus, quality workmanship, excellent steel erecting expertise and a flexible approach to satisfying clients’ changing needs, this go-to structural steel and roofing contractor of choice has forged long-term relationships with a who’s who of repeat clients, while sustained reinvestment in the business ensures continuous improvement and development of plant, facilities, people and procedures.
Considering how unforgiving the construction industry is, when a company is still not only going strong but growing more than 30 years after its inception, such an achievement speaks for itself, really. “The business has been going well and we have come through some hard times as well, so that’s pleasing,” comments design engineer James McGinley. “The journey thus far has been fairly good, to be fair.”
The secret to Henry McGinley & Sons is not rocket science – ultimately it comes down to the consistent delivery of quality products and quality service. “Our customer retention rates are extremely high and we have a lot of historic customers who have been with us for a long time,” James confirms. “Be it a small project or a large one, we make sure the client is always happy with every aspect of the work from first contact through to completion.”
In the early days, much of the work was carried out in Killybegs, where the McGinleys still work for some of the very same clients with whom relationships go back to the 1990s. “For years we’d have been known for structural steel but it’s now 50:50 between steelwork and roofing and cladding systems,” says James.
Henry McGinley and Sons is an approved contractor for the Alkor PVC and standing seam range of roofing products. Each member of the installation team has completed Alkor’s official installers training programme and is qualified to fit the ‘Alkor Plan’ waterproofing membrane range.
Used extensively for flat roof assignments, Alkor’s products provide a number of benefits, including long life expectancy, limited maintenance, bacteria resistance, inflammability, high moisture vapour permeability and resistance against environmental pollution.
In addition to the Alkor range, Henry McGinley & Sons has broadened its product offering to include aluminium standing seam roofing systems. This expansion allows the company to provide clients and design teams with greater flexibility in terms of aesthetics, performance and specification. Aluminium standing seam systems offer durability, lightweight performance, corrosion resistance and a clean architectural finish, making them an increasingly popular choice across commercial, retail and leisure developments.
Busy working on projects across the northern half of the island, including regular work at Dublin Airport and having evolved into the commercial, retail and leisure sectors – including shopping centres and hotels – the Donegal-headquartered company benefits from its own in-house engineering department.
Having qualified engineers within the business allows Henry McGinley & Sons to deliver a fully integrated service, from initial concept and structural design through to fabrication and on-site installation. This in-house capability ensures efficiency, technical accuracy and seamless coordination at every stage of a project. Alternatively, the team is equally comfortable working alongside nominated external engineers, providing flexibility to suit client and contractor requirements.
With the capacity and capability to complete steel fabrication and erection projects of 500+ tonnes, Henry McGinley & Sons boasts its own 25,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Milford, containing CNC folders, plasma cutters and an array of specialist machines for folding, cutting and painting steel. Between the manufacturing facility and installation teams, direct employment is generated for a team of 25.
Down through the years, Henry McGinley & Sons have completed projects for a wide range of clients, from Tier One contractors like John Sisk & Son to Dublin Airport Authority, Western Brand Chickens, Paul Doherty Construction and countless smaller builders in and around Donegal.
From humble beginnings, the business has come a long way through the consistent delivery of exceptional products and services, with 2026 promising to be another busy year: “We’re very busy and have plenty of work on,” James concludes. “Our books are pretty full going well into 2026 but we are always interested in discussing potential new projects.
“In any business, you are nothing without your team and we are very lucky to have great people working here. Most of them have been working with us for a long time and they don’t tend to chop and change, which is good because you can trust them to consistently work to a high standard.
“Without your loyal staff and customers, you wouldn’t have a business, so we are indebted to them for their hard work, professionalism and loyalty.”
Henry McGinley & Sons Ltd.,
Loughnakey,
Milford,
County Donegal.
Tel: 074 9153181 / 9153300
Email: [email protected]
Web: henrymcginley.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, May 2026, Vol 12 No 5
featured, Henry McGinley & Sons
