Leeann | February 3, 2023
Yesterday marked the beginning of a very special year for Duggan Brothers – the 100th anniversary of our foundation in 1923. In honour of this significant milestone, DBL has prepared several initiatives to commemorate and celebrate, both internally and externally, throughout the year.
To commence the celebrations a plaque has been unveiled in the Head Office in Templemore, Co. Tipperary. This plaque also unveils and launches our dedicated centenary brand to mark our 100th Anniversary.
During its 100 years in business, Duggan Brothers has grown from a small acorn into a large, third generation, family-owned general building contractor. Duggan Brothers employs circa 110 technical, managerial, administrative and trade staff along with its extensive sub-contractors and supply chain partners. Central to the company’s success is the fact that the company has firmly remained a family business instilled with strong values, now led by the third generation of the Duggan family, brothers – David & Seamus Duggan, Joint Managing Directors.
Hard work, professionalism, integrity, and collaboration are strong traits that have been carried from one generation of the Duggan family to the next. Whilst the business that we know today was established by brothers, William and James Duggan in 1923, their interest in construction was developed working with their father Edward who operated a small building/joinery business. In 1923 they decided to set-up their own business and started trading as Duggan Brothers Building Contractors.
They purchased lands and set-up in Templemore on the site of the current head office where over time they developed a joinery, sawmills, and other ancillary facilities on the site to help service their building materials needs for projects that they undertook. They operated as general buildings contractors providing a full service to meet their client’s needs. Being self-sufficient and with a highly skilled local workforce they quickly evolved from small projects into residential schemes and over time started to expand further into building schools, churches and various projects for religious institutions, commercial and civil works in the surrounding towns and counties.
Involvement in Local Authority housing schemes and schools throughout the 1930’s reflected the strategy of the fledgling state. During these years hundreds of houses in schemes of 20 to 150 units were built by Duggan Brothers throughout Tipperary and the midlands.
During the war years, 1939 to 1945, to make up for the reduction in building work Duggan Brothers expanded its saw milling business as part of a joint venture supplying native timber as a substitute for imported timber. The situation improved by the late 1940’s and as a snapshot in time in the early 1950’s Duggan Brothers were building the National Board & Paper Mills in Waterford, the Christian Brothers Primary School in Thurles, and the Convent of Mercy Primary School in Templemore among other projects.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the company continued to grow with repeat clients and a growing reputation for quality and reliability and from this it expanded out to other areas of the country. 50 years ago, in 1973, Duggan Brothers commenced working in Dublin and shortly thereafter opened its regional office in Dublin. Since then, Duggan Brothers have had a continuous presence in Dublin with approximately half of its annual turnover being in that region.
With the reduction of private and public building works in the mid-1980’s Duggan Brothers focused more on a wide range of industrial work including food and meat processing plants and built these throughout the country. This led the way into a focus on high-end industrial and pharmaceutical plants from the 1990’s onward.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Plaque, Former Managing Director, Kevin Duggan said:
“As we celebrate our first 100 years, I am delighted to be a part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of Duggan Brothers and to have contributed to the growth of the company over the years. I would like to commend all involved in reaching this significant milestone which shows the ability to evolve and innovate and I wish you all continued success in the years ahead.”.
David Duggan, Joint Managing Director added:
“We are privileged to have such talented employees who have served the company throughout our history, along with a fantastic supply chain who work every day to serve our clients and assist to advance our endeavours within the industry. To reach such a significant milestone is testament to our colleagues past and present who continue to serve our clients magnificently and the support and loyalty of our suppliers and subcontractors. This year is not just about celebrating our past but also looking ahead with enthusiasm to the future”.
Seamus Duggan, Joint Managing Director:
“Duggan Brothers is a family run business with strong core values and I believe that businesses such as ours are the cornerstone of the Irish Construction Industry. We pride ourselves on our workmanship, our professional and collaborative approach, and our overarching desire to safely construct good buildings to the highest standard. The industry is continuously evolving, and we too must evolve, embracing change, and adapt our business accordingly, however, we cannot forget our core values and strong tradition”.
