Tom O’Brien Construction were tasked with this monumental multi – million euro conservation project, to bring this wonderful Castle back to life through a vast and breath-taking scope of works.
Johnstown Castle in County Wexford is a hugely significant ancient building of National importance. A proud and beautiful Gothic-Revival style castle, with origins dating back to the 12th Century. Occupied for one night by Oliver Cromwell, and most recently lived in by the Grogan Family until 1945, Wexford’s greatest surviving country estate never before open to the public, is in the summer of 2019, set to become one of Ireland’s foremost tourist attractions and a gem for Ireland’s Ancient East. The past number of decades had seen the Castle fall into a state of total disrepair, so a partnership between the Irish heritage Trust and Teagasc tasked Tom O’Brien Construction with a monumental multi – million euro conservation project to bring this wonderful Castle back to life through a vast and breath-taking scope of works. The conservation works for Tom O’Brien Construction involved the meticulous restoration of the three floor over basement Castle, including the restoration of an original 86 metre long underground servants’ tunnel believed to be the longest in the country. The vast scope of works also included the installation of a new lift serving all 4 floors and the upgrading of the Mechanical and Electrical services throughout the building, which was paramount for making the building safe for visitors. Particular attention was placed on fireproofing the structure and to that effect we were responsible for the oversight of the overall buildings fire integrity. We also ensured the building met all current access and egress regulations, required for the buildings imminent opening this summer as a public museum. Photos by Frank McGrath & Patrick Browne.
Location Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford
Architect C.J. Falconer & Assoc
Client Teagasc / Irish Heritage Trust
Value €2.5m
