Established in 1991 as a small agricultural contracting business, Maher Contractors (Michael Maher Contracting & Repairs Ltd) has evolved into a leading groundwork and civil engineering specialist in the Munster region.
Construction-based work now accounts for 90% of the Doon, Co. Limerick-based company’s activities, with agri contracting making up the remaining 10%. Paudie Maher leads a 40-strong team which includes several family members, including his sister Catriona, who runs the office. Other key personnel include quantity surveyors Willie Perry and Pat O’Riordan. Paudie’s father and company founder Mike has taken a backseat in recent times, focusing instead on his beef enterprise.
“We started out as an agri contracting business before branching into civils. We still do a small bit of agri contracting, but groundworks and civil engineering are our main focus now,” explains Paudie, who joined the family business in 2009 after working as a civil engineer with McInerney Homes for six years.
“With agri contracting, it’s getting harder and harder to compete with unlicensed contractors who are working under the radar. They’re a huge problem in our area.
“At least with the civil works, there’s greater stability and it’s not as volatile.”
Specialising in bulk digs, muck shifting, deep drainage, all concrete works and ducting, Maher Contracting is engaged in many civil works for Clancy Construction, who have become its biggest client since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s funny how things happen,” Paudie smiles.
“On the day the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, I spoke to someone from Clancy Construction who said they had an urgent job on in UHL (University Hospital Limerick) and needed help with the civil works. It was a rapid build modular unit consisting of 25 bedrooms which was built on an existing car park. As an essential service, we remained fully operational throughout the lockdown, working 24/7 for 16 weeks to get the project done.
“It was a lucky break and we’ve been very busy working on various projects for Clancy Construction ever since. We have 20 men with them all the time. We’re currently doing deep drainage for Clancy on a housing development in Kilkenny and ground works on Camoge Park, which is a new 60-unit development in Croom, Co. Limerick.
“Clancy chose us because of the pride we take in our work, our experience and knowledge, our excellent safety record and our ability to complete projects within tight timeframes and on budget.”
John Sisk & Son, BAM, Conack Construction, Wallace Contracting, JJ Rhatigan, Murphy International, Genesis Homes, Alber Homes and Limerick, Tipperary and Clare County Councils are just some of Maher Contractors’ other valued clients. The contractor is also on the Uisce Éireann Framework for Future Delivery of Water Services.
“We have built up a loyal customer-base over the years,” the affable project manager points out.
“Uisce Éireann, for example, utilises us because we know how to get the job across the line. Some of our current projects include pipe upgrade works for Clare County Council at the Westbury Storm Water Pump Station; a 10m basement dig for a new building and enabling works for another new structure for Sisk at UHL; civil works for the new Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh in Clare Street, Limerick for Conack Construction; a large bulk dig for the new Presentation Secondary School in Kilkenny for JJ Rhatigan; and civils works on a large housing development for Wallace Contracting at Bishop’s Lough in Kilkenny.
The company has an array of machinery to carry out all types of civil works. It recently took delivery of a second new Hyundai 220 with a GPS system for bulk excavations and deep drainage. “It’s the way to go – the GPS system gives great results,” Paudie enthuses.
The other diggers in the fleet include a Hyundai 180, a Hyundai 160, two Hyundai 140s, a Hitachi 130, a 9-tonne rubber duck (wheeled excavator), a 9-tonne Takeuchi digger with tilt rotator, two 6-tonne Takeuchi diggers with tilt rotators, 3 Takeuchi mini-diggers, new 4- and 6-tonne Kubota dumpers, a mix of Terex and Thwaites dumpers, five 14-tonne Dynapac rollers, three 4-tonne BOMAG rollers and one BOMAG 1.5-tonne roller.
In addition, Maher Contractors runs three Valtra tractors (T213, T153 and T163), a CLAAS 810 Axion and a 250hp Fendt 824 which pulls a custom-made state-of-the-art RedRock low loader. The Co. Limerick contractor also has a wide range of attachments and is constantly upgrading and reinvesting in its plant.
All machines are serviced regularly to ensure there is no such thing as downtime. Some maintenance is carried out in house with John Ryan Autoplant in Tipperary Town and main dealers such as Whelan Plant Sales in Barefield, Co. Clare and Breen’s in Cashel, Co. Tipperary looking after the rest.
As Maher Contractors continues to go from strength to strength, Paudie would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as its staff for their hard work, dedication and skill.
Maher Contractors (Michael Maher Contracting & Repairs Ltd)
Cooga,
Doon,
Co. Limerick.
Tel: 085 8245174 / 086 8148420
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, May 2024, Vol 10 No 5
