Gem Construction Ltd and Purcell Construction Ltd join forces to restore St. Mel’s Cathedral, Longford

In a joint venture between GEM Construction Company Ltd and Purcell Construction Ltd we are pleased to have received a Letter of Intent for the restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford, which is one of the largest conservation projects of its kind in Western Europe.

Gem Purcell Limited undertook the comprehensive tender process by initially making a written submission together with 13 other local and national building contractors. This tender list was reduced to 8 for an interview stage based on their submissions. The tender list was then further reduced to 6.

Following our successful bid, Gem Purcell Limited was awarded a letter of Intent on the Wednesday the 8th of August. Work on the project is expected to start on the 28th of this month and it will take approximately 14 months for this aspect of the restoration to be completed.

As we are a company based in Longford, with strong links to the local community, the restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral holds additional significance for us. We are proud to be associated with this project and the intention of Gem Purcell is to employ local labour where possible.  We will work closely with the Camlin Community Training Centre to achieve this goal.

GEM Purcell is committed to restoring St Mel’s Cathedral to its former architectural presence whilst protecting and reflecting the heritage of the building. For over 30 years GEM has established a reputation for delivering quality work and value for our clients.

Previously GEM has been involved in the restoration of Dublin Castle and the Department of An Taoiseach, Government Buildings. Purcell Construction has successfully undertaken major restoration and conservation works at a number of landmark public buildings including; Tullamore Courthouse, Sligo Courthouse, Pearse Museum, Rathmines College and Limerick Courthouse.

The GEM/Purcell partnership brings together extensive knowledge and experience of large scale conservation work.  We are confident we can deliver a restoration and conservation project of the highest quality as well as providing a liturgical centre for the local community and the wider diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise.

Kevin Fay, Construction Director for the project said: “We are looking forward to working with the Design Team to deliver a project that protects the heritage of St. Mel’s Cathedral and will meet the liturgical requirements of future generations.”