McInerney’s face liquidation

AFTER 102 years in existence, McInerney builders, founded by Clare farmer Thomas P McInerney, looks set to go into liquidation this week.

McInerney Holdings PLC is to hold an extraordinary general meeting thisFriday where it is expected to ask shareholders to place it into liquidation.
In 2009, the company celebrated its centenary marking a long history in the trade that began with Thomas P McInerney building a house for a neighbour in O’Callaghan’s Mills.
Described as a farmer that was keen to provide a future for his family of five boys and three girls, Thomas P decided to go into house building and this led to a long-standing tradition that followed his “passion for excellence”.
He was joined in the business by his sons, Frank and Vincent, initially and his other sons, Ambrose and Dan, later came on board, the latter two being responsible for bringing the company to the stock market in 1971, where it has remained as a publicly listed and owned company.
Among its noted contracts over the years was its contract to build the first jet runway at Shannon Airport in 1949. In the 1970s, it won contracts in the Middle East, building 25 houses in Bahrain for Gulf Air in 1975 and 100 houses for Shell Oil in Doha thereafter. During 1980, it was operating in five Gulf countries developing office blocks, government housing, banks and even a palace. 
They then branched out to Spain and Portugal and in 1984, pioneered the exclusive high-quality Four Seasons country club. The 1990s saw it become a strong presence in the UK housing market.
In its 100 years of existence, it was estimated to have supplied almost 90,000 homes throughout Ireland.