Established in 1985, Chris Barry Plant Hire Ltd in Castletownbere, Co. Cork is a leading plant and civil engineering firm boasting a wealth of experience in a wide range of construction and agri services.
The second-generation family-owned and operated business specialises in groundworks, roadworks, drainage, butt fusion / electrofusion welding, utility works, concrete structure, demolition, piling, agri contracting and haulage. Over the past four decades, it has earned an enviable reputation for top-quality work, with repeat business being key to its growth and success.
Founder and managing director Chris Barry is joined by his sons Chris Jnr and Declan, daughter Angela and wife Gillian along with a 20-strong team of full-time and part-time drivers and operatives. Committed to providing a top-class service and complete customer satisfaction, this exceptional contractor has an array of machinery to carry out your civil works quickly and efficiently, including 10 tipper trucks, 15 excavators ranging from three to 35 tonnes as well as an assortment of dump trucks, rollers and quarrying equipment. All vehicles and machines are maintained and upgraded on a regular basis to avoid breakdowns and downtime.
In addition, the West Cork company has a fleet of up to 10 Massey Ferguson tractors dedicated to its agri contracting operation and also to transporting coral sand bags from Castletownbere Port to the nearby Celtic Sea Minerals seaweed factory. Its highly-skilled team delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
“We’re renowned for our quality work which is delivered in a timely manner and to our client’s exact requirements,” Declan Barry proudly states.
“We take a hands-on, practical approach to every project. Hailing from a suckler farm which my brother Tony now runs, my father started out as an agri contractor before expanding into plant and civil engineering. He bought a digger and it grew from there. The main agri contracting services we provide are baled silage and slurry spreading. We’re running Kuhn balers, a John Deere mower and a Conor slurry tanker.
“We’re big into groundworks, roadworks, drainage, muck shifting and haulage. Most of our truck work is in and around Cork city where we draw aggregates for Roadstone, Kevin McCarthy Haulage and Nevada Transport. Cork County Council is one of our biggest clients, while we have also worked on various projects for Uisce Éireann, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and other local authorities in the past.”
Chris Snr says: “Our tipper trucks are a mix of Volvo FH500s and FM460s. We’re also running a Scania R560 artic, three P410 eight-wheelers and a P370 six-wheeler. The trucks we have based in the city are maintained by Mark Kennedy of Truck Doc in Watergrasshill and Stephen Stack in Ballincollig. They are two excellent mechanics who help to keep our wheels moving.
“We also have our own quarry in Adrigole. It’s a small quarry from which we supply sandstone primarily to Cork County Council and local farms.”
Chris Barry Plant Hire’s groundworks services include site clearance and earthworks. Roadworks incorporates traffic management, pavement strengthening, road widening, road upgrade and road realignment, drainage includes standard and deep depth drainage, while muck shifting / bulk excavation includes offsite disposal to a licenced facility. To this end, the family business holds all relevant waste permits.
In addition, Chris Barry Plant Hire covers a wide range of utility works incorporating gas, electricity, water and communication ducting. Another service is butt fusion / electrofusion welding of polyethylene pipe in water, gas and wastewater projects. The company is also equipped to reinforce and execute formwork to accommodate the installation of in-situ reinforced concrete, including slabs, bases and foundations.
Health & Safety remains at the forefront of all projects undertaken by Chris Barry Plant Hire. The civil engineering specialist prides itself on its exemplary safety record for over 40 years. Its priority is to provide a safe and healthy work environment for all persons employed on projects, including anyone affected by their work activities.
All operatives have received Safe Pass and Manual Handling training and are CSCS qualified as well as ongoing task-specific training. Both internal and external Health & Safety advisors are employed to advise and ensure that the highest standards are implemented and maintained across projects. Chris Barry Plant Hire is dedicated to making all managerial and financial resources available in order to achieve a safer workplace with safe systems of work implemented.
Furthermore, the West Cork firm is committed to operating in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. The company actively seeks to minimise the environmental impact of its activities and to promote long-term sustainability in every project.
Chris concludes by praising his customers and employees.
“We have forged strong relations and built up a lot of trust with our clients over the years. We do a good job and that’s why they keep using us,” he explains.
“We are also fortunate to have a great, experienced team who are always willing to take the initiative. Some of the lads have been with us for 30 years and you can always trust them to get the job done. We’d be nothing without them or our valued customers.”
As Chris Barry Plant Hire continues to go from strength to strength, the Barry family would also like to take this opportunity to thank their suppliers and industry partners for their unwavering support.
Chris Barry Plant Hire Ltd
Ahabeg,
Waterfall,
Castletownbere,
Co. Cork,
P75 TE81.
Telephone: 027 60061
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.chrisbarryplanthire.com
First published in Irish Trucker magazine November/December 2026, Vol 29-6
