Q. Can you tell us more about your role and background?
J.B I graduated from UCD with a BE Civil degree in 1993 and I started with Moston as a Site Engineer in Wyeth in Newbridge in June 1996. I worked as Site Manager until 2000 and from then until 2018 as Contracts Manager. I am QEHS Manager with Moston since 2018. I am from a farming background and am the eldest in my family so I have certainly never been afraid of work or a new challenge, having worked from a very young age!
Q. Did you ever think on 1st June 1996, that you’d still be in Moston 25 years later?
J.B No! When I met Mick O’Shea in the Ambassador Hotel in Kill in 1996, it came out of the blue for me after applying to several advertisements. The early to mid 1990’s, after I graduated, was a tough time to get work in construction. I was lucky to get work upon my graduation with Laois County Council but it was a temporary contract. I was delighted to start with Moston Construction!
Q. What do you see as your biggest accomplishments / projects you are proud of?
J.B One of the projects I am most proud of still is one of the earliest I did for Moston, Leisureplex at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in 1997. I set this out from scratch and it was far from a regular shaped building. Over 100 bases with holding down bolts were set out with a basic EDM, where every coordinate had to be manually calculated and inputted. It was some relief when all the steel arrived and it fitted! I think we originally had the shell and core contract on this project but ended up fitting it out completely. It was an excellent experience of all elements of construction, including Gypsum award-winning plasterboard features, that still look great today!
Q: What are the biggest changes in the construction industry since 1996?
J.B Safety and technology! When I started I had to go inside to use a pay phone to communicate with everyone off site. You quickly learn to plan carefully ahead. Mobile phones were not very popular and it was a few months later in 1996 when I bought my first one. Safety standards and requirements have changed continuously since 1996, almost all for the better. I was probably lucky to start in Wyeth and subsequently carry out some large projects there, as their safety standards were ahead of the general construction industry in Ireland then and I could bring my experience to other projects.
Q. What are some of your fondest Moston memories of the past 25 years?
J.B I have worked on hundreds of projects over the last 25 years and while many are similar, no two were the same. Each one has provided different memories. While some of the projects themselves stand out in my memory, it is mostly the people involved in the projects who have created the best memories, especially all the Moston Construction staff, past and present. We have had some great times together on and off site, including some great nights out, nights away, days out and away together. I look forward to more of these very soon hopefully, once we are all vaccinated and in the coming years.