With more than 40 years’ experience in the industry, McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd provide all types of building services for their clients. Building Ireland touched base with co-director Glenn McHugh to hear all about the Co Sligo-based business.
These are the busy times at McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd and the plan for directors Glenn McHugh and Ross Gallagher is to keep things that way right through 2021.
Based in Cliffoney, Co Sligo, the company covers all types of building works (big or small) and have earned a reputation over the years for quality work.
Right now, the business employs 11 staff between a full-time and part-time basis and is headed up by two cousins whom are second generation builders.
Building Ireland learned more from Glenn McHugh about the origins of the company and the state of business at the moment.
“The company would’ve been set-up by Liam McHugh and Padraig Gallagher back in 1968,” he stated.
“They were cousins that started the business together and they ran up until 2015 when myself and Ross, who is Padraig’s son, took it over. Liam and Padraig still have an active role within the company today offering experienced advice on the running of the company.
“At that stage, myself and Ross had been working with the company long enough and when we took over it was very much a clean swap, nothing changed and it was just a small bit more responsibility for the both of us.”
The new directorship would weather the storm in the recession years that quickly followed the taking over of the business and they didn’t change their stripes along the way either.
At McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd, they provide all types of building services and are members of the CIF and CIRI.
“We’re a general building contractor,” Glenn put it plainly. “We cater for very small projects, whether it be domestic or commercial and some of our projects can range from €5,000 up to €1million.
“We do new houses, new builds, extensions, fit-outs, Council grant work and HSE work.
“We do a lot of work with HSE in hospitals and small bit of school work between extensions and new builds.”
Indeed McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd cover the whole spectrum when it comes to building services and the company’s work over the decades has seen it develop a glowing reputation amongst clients.
Right now, business is booming, according to Glenn, who has been flat out with the rest of the team in Cliffoney since lockdown was lifted back at the start of the summer.
“It’s very busy at the moment, I have to say,” he said.
“I’m Project Manager here and also look after all the Quantity Surveyor work as well, and I can tell you that that side of things is mental busy right now.
“We are getting our fair share of work and I suppose you could say that it has been fairly busy here since lockdown was lifted on May 18th.”
The projects continue to come thick and fast too, with the company specialising in developments all around the Yeats County.
At the moment, McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd are immersed in a residential unit project for the HSE, which Glenn was able share some details about.
“The project is being carried out by the HSE to help re-localise people from Cregg House,” he said.
“It’s a full retro fit-out and it’ll be a very high spec house once it’s finished.
“We’re also finishing off two private domestic houses in the local area and then we’re starting some renovation work in Manorhamilton Hospital for the HSE.”
He added: “We have two new builds starting in the next couple of weeks, an office fit-out in Grange and another office fit-out in Sligo Town.
“We also cater for a lot of grant jobs for Sligo County Council for elderly people, which involves putting in showers and helping to facilitate for mobility.”
McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd cater for a large range of fit-out jobs valued between €10,000 and €1million.
So, what has been the secret to success for the company down through the years?
As far as Glenn is concerned, quality work on a consistent basis has earned McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd the reputation it has today.
The company is tried and tested, with a proud name and its origins dating all the way back to 1968.
“We’re on these tender lists for different projects and I suppose we have a good reputation to keep being on them,” said Glenn.
“You’re only as good as your last job. We’ve never had any complaints from clients and have always managed to have a good reputation for our work down through the years.”
As strange and unprecedented a year as 2020 has been, business continues to thrive for McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd.
A new year is just around the corner and, between Brexit looming and the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s an impossible one to try and predict for any business.
Glenn, Ross and all at McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd remain optimistic as ever though.
“We’re just going to hope that everything is going to keep going the way it is at the minute,” he said
“Down the west in Sligo, it has actually gotten busier lately despite the Covid-19 pandemic if you can believe that.
“Hopefully, we can all just keep working away here and keep producing the work we have been down the years.”
McHugh & Gallagher Builders Ltd
Cliffoney,
Co Sligo
Mobile: 087 6529081
E-mail: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2021, Vol 7 No 1
