March 2019: Johnstown Castle Restoration Complete

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.