Creggstone Ltd. – one of Ireland’s leading stone specialists, specialising in the supply and fix of natural stone cladding to the commercial and retail markets and in stone restoration and conservation – celebrated its 21st anniversary in 2016. We travelled to the East Galway town of Ballinasloe and dropped into their well-appointed workshop and offices to discuss the history and current well-being of the company with founder and contracts director Cathal Cregg.
Having worked with stone all his life, Cathal Cregg is a man who undoubtedly knows his chosen trade like the back of his hand. A veritable authority on all things pertaining to designing, cutting and installing stone, Cathal together with fellow director Aidan Curley manages one of the largest commercial and residential natural stone suppliers and stone fixing companies in Ireland.
A major player in the Irish natural stone contracts market since its inception in 1995, Cregg Stone Ltd. supply and fix all types of natural stone including internationally-sourced stone, working with clients from design stage to contract completion, thereby offering a complete turnkey solution.
Cathal and his team have worked on some of the most prestigious contracts in Ireland – including, the Central Criminal Courts, St Vincent’s Private Hospital and Beacon South Quarter Development, St James Hospital (all in Dublin), City Hall and The Clarion Hotel (both in Cork) and the University of Limerick, in the process developing an unrivalled reputation for quality stonework and reliability.
From tender stage through to planning a project and drawing up designs, Cregg Stone can assist clients with finding the stone solution which best suit their requirements. They look after the production of working drawings to the procurement and installation of the stone, ensuring a single point of contact from conception through to completion, with every project overseen by Contracts Director Cathal Cregg himself, who boasts more than four decades of experience at the forefront of the stone trade.
Cathal Cregg trained to be a stone cutter and carver: “I am a stone cutter, stone carver and letter cutter by trade,” he confirms matter-of-factly. “When I started working with stone, it was all done by hand. For me, it was chisel and mallet, no fancy machines.
“I completed my training in the 1980’s and in those days the main business in stone emanated from the monumental end. The building industry in so far as stone was concerned was tiny and anyone who was in the stone business was involved in the monumental end of things. Things began to change in the mid 1990’s and the demand for building stone increased. We saw the potential and so changed our focus from monumental. Creggstone was born and we quickly grew and expanded into the company we are today.
“We developed a reputation for quality work. Our ethos was then and still is to this day to work with our clients, to help them to complete their projects.” Cathal is hands on and is on site 95% of the time. This he believes is what helped grow the business. Cathal believes you must never be so big that you forget how you started and in the process forget the importance of the hands-on approach and the importance of delivering a quality job to your client 100% of the time. “I am often found on site with my sleeves rolled up. This earns you huge respect in the eyes of your employees as well as your clients.”
Cathal notes that they have been fortunate to have worked and continue to work with some of the leading building companies in Ireland – PJ Hegarty & Sons, John Paul Construction, Bam, John Sisk, Purcell Construction, Collen Construction – and this has provided them with the opportunity to work on some of the major contracts in Ireland.
Creggstone also have another very important element to their company, stone restoration and conservation. “The most prestigious restoration project completed by us is the stone restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford,” states Cathal. “We were appointed by the main contractor as the restoration stone specialists and the work involved included the removal and re-installing of all 28 natural stone columns. A lot of the stone was damaged by the fire and so stone grafts and repairs had to be completed. This was the biggest restoration job in Western Europe in 2014. It was a joy to work on this project and to see the Cathedral restored to its formal glory and we as a company are very proud of the part we played in achieving this.”
The company are currently working at Adare Manor involving the two elements of the company, supply and fix of new stone and stone restoration. They are also working on four of the court buildings, again involving both elements of the company.
Creggstone have weathered the recession storm and believe the lessons learnt will stand them in good stead as they continue to grow and develop the company. “We operate a very tight company. We do not have layers of management. We are practical in our approach. We are flexible and believe that you must approach each contract and client differently. It is not a case of one fit fits all situations. You must be prepared to adapt, and to help your client to solve problems if and when they arise.
“We are fortunate in that we have a very good reputation and that has certainly contributed to the growth of our company. The contracts you have completed before drive you on and they show main contractors that you are capable of doing the work. It gives you a shot at the big jobs because main contactors are obviously reluctant to take a chance on somebody else who might not be able to do the job properly. We have a proven record so they know they can trust us.”
Extensive knowledge is ultimately what separates Cregg Stone from the competition. “I know stone and it has been my life since I was a young lad of 12 or 13 working with my father building walls,” Cathal comments. “I remain on the ground with the stone and work hands-on. I don’t hide away in the office because this is what I love doing.
“Aidan Curley is the Managing Director with responsibility for sales and development. He joined the company when he was 20 years old and he has contributed enormously to the growth of the company. Aidan is the first point of contact and he has over the years developed good working relationship with our clients.
“We have a drawing office headed up by Davy Manning. We have onsite mangers all of whom learned the trade from the bottom up.
“Our clients know they are not just getting a professional service but they are also getting genuine, experienced stone cutters who are on the ground, who know how to work with stone and who are passionate about it.
“I don’t expect anybody who works for me to do anything that I am not capable of doing myself and that sets the tone for the business.” This is a key strength of Cregg Stone.
“We made our own tools in a forge and hand-punched stone back in the day,” he concludes. “I carved my first Celtic Cross from stone when I was 18 and that was exported to Boston. I carved an unbroken stone chain and this is on display in a crypt in Dublin. Carving this was a unique trick that presented a great challenge.”
Cathal Cregg embraces such challenges and this is another one of the many reasons why Cregg Stone is where it is today and why they will continue to grow and develop.
Creggstone Limited
Unit 1
Sarsfield Rd.,
Ballinasloe
Co. Galway
Tel: 090 9649776
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.creggstone.com
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, November/December 2016, Vol 2 No 7
