As the sun shines brighter and we hit the height of summer, we’re excited to bring you the summer edition of our company newsletter- a seasonal snapshot of the energy, achievements, and momentum we’ve built together. This summer, we’re celebrating more than just the good weather. From major project milestones to new team members joining our journey, there’s a lot to be proud of.
Inside, you’ll find stories and photos capturing the spirit of summer across the JJR community. From weddings to new arrivals, fun team outings to moments of personal achievement with a few fun surprises to keep things light and lively.
Your enthusiasm and teamwork make JJ Rhatigan more than just a workplace, it makes it a community. It’s great to see so many of you getting involved, whether it’s supporting local causes, taking part in events, or just coming together to have some fun. That sense of connection and team spirit is what makes JJ Rhatigan such a great place to work.
A big thanks to everyone who helped organise, participate in, or support the amazing things going on this summer. We hope you enjoy catching up on all the stories, and maybe even spot yourself in a few of them!
Whether you're enjoying a well-deserved holiday or staying close to home, we hope this edition brings a moment of connection and pride in what we’ve achieved together. So, grab a cool drink, find a sunny spot (or a shady one!), and enjoy catching up on all that’s been happening.
Wishing you all a
Galway Ladies Minor Team Semi-Final
The Galway Ladies Minor team took on Dublin in the All-Ireland Semi-final on Thursday, July 10th. While the result didn’t go our way, the grit, determination and heart shown by every player on the day and throughout the entire season was truly inspiring.
JJ Rhatigan is honoured to sponsor this team for the next three years, and we look forward to next season.
Gaillimh Abú!
Good News Stories
Bushra Hossain Completes London Marathon
Bushra Hossain successfully completed the London Marathon on April 20th, 2025. This race is an incredible test of physical and mental strength, which is a huge achievement to accomplish. Bushra ran the race in aid of Cancer Research UK.
New Arrival
Happy Retirement Francis!
A celebration was held on Friday, July 11th in Galway for Francis Gillespie for his retirement after nearly 32 years with JJ Rhatigan. Thank you for everything, Francis, and we wish you all the best in your retirement.
Congratulations to Sean Kelly and his wife on the joyful arrival of their baby girl, Clodagh, on Thursday, 5th June. Wishing the new family every happiness as they begin this wonderful new chapter!
Birthday Wishes
Clare Killeen celebrated her 30th birthday on 27th June 2025, and the occasion was marked with cake and flowers in the office.
Wedding Bells
Judo Joy!
Kayla and Millie Conway, daughters of Kiera Conway, successfully graded to their next belts in Judo. Kayla graded up to a green belt and Millie has graded to yellow/white. Well done girls!
Congratulations to Murat Simsek and Lauren on their marriage in Waltham Forest on 10th May 2025. Wishing the happy couple a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness together!
Congratulations to Fatih Kepce and Isabel, who celebrated their wedding at Altin Otel in Balikesir, Turkey on 21st June 2025. Wishing them a beautiful journey ahead filled with love and unforgettable moments as they begin this wonderful new chapter!
Michaela Glynn tied the knot to her husband, Ryan in Nerja, Malaga on May 31st. Pictured are the newlyweds, along with a photo of some of the accounts team in attendance. Congratulations!
JJR Summer Parties
Ireland
The JJ Rhatigan Ireland teams gathered at the beautiful Glasson Lakehouse for our annual Summer Shindig on June 22nd.
With team members from all offices and sites across Ireland (plus plenty of friends and family), the day was packed with fun, laughter, and great memories.
There was plenty of activities, delicious food, refreshing drinks, and more than a few 99s to go around!
A big thank you to everyone who came along and made the day such a success.
UK
The JJR UK summer party was held on 3rd July 2025 at Barrio in Shoreditch, enjoying drinks and tacos in great company.
Sports & Social Club Activites
Weekly Draw
A weekly raffle has been set up and will run for the next nine weeks.
Congrats to the winners so far:
Week 1:
2 Robbie Williams tickets Won by: Adeo Daffoe
Week 2:
€100 Voucher Lena’s Bar & Restaurant
Won by: Emmet Browne
Week 3:
€200 Hotel Voucher for hotelgift.ie
Won by: Jason Flynn
The winner will be announced every Friday at 4pm until September 5th via Teams. Keep an eye on your emails for the invitation.
Best of luck to everyone!
Interfirms Football
We’re checking interest in putting together men’s teams for this year’s GAA Interfirms Football and Hurling competitions. If there’s enough interest, we’ll enter teams – so whether you’re still playing regularly or just fancy dusting off the boots, we want to hear from you!
Interested? Click below to register your interest:
All levels welcome – it’s about getting involved and having a bit of craic while representing JJ Rhatigan on the pitch. Let’s get a team together and make a bit of noise in this year’s Interfirms!
We're also looking into what competitions are available for women's football and camogie, so stay tuned for more on that.
Discounted Cinema Tickets*
Did you know that all JJ Rhatigan staff can avail of discounted cinema tickets for the Omniplex Cinema chain?
How it works:
• You only need to pay €5 per ticket.
• In return, you will receive a voucher number that can be used for cinema tickets at Omniplex (Online or In person)
• There will a €2 additional for premium seats payable by the employee
The vouchers are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't miss out!
If you’re interested, please reach out to Marta Majewska of the Sports & Social Committee: sportsandsocial@jjrhatigan.com
*Only available in ROI
Run & Hiking Club
The JJR Sports & Social Club is excited to support a series of fantastic charity and community runs taking place over the coming months — and we’d love to see as many of you as possible getting involved!
These events are a great way to stay active, support wonderful causes, and represent our company spirit together. Please see the details below and let us know if you’d be interested in participating in any of them:
• 17th August: Charity Run for Autism (Dublin)
• September (6th,7th & 14th): Pink Run for Breast Cancer (Dublin / Cork / Kilkenny)
• 4th October: Run Galway Bay
• 17th October: 5k Run for Croi
Please show interest in what event(s) you would be interested in taking part by clicking below:
REGISTER
Golf Society
The Golf Society got a smashing day for it at Sandhill in June. They played an individual Stableford format with prizes from 1st to 5th in lieu of nearest the pin, long drive and participation.
Congratulations to all prize winners!
1st Place: Shane McHugh
2nd Place: Janco Wallis
3rd Place: Sonny MacAnulty
4th Place: Gerard Crowe
There are 4 events remaining on the calendar, please register interest by clicking the course name in the table below:
Join the JJR Sports & Social Club
The JJ Rhatigan Sports & Social Club (S&S) is an employee-led initiative that organises a variety of events and activities throughout the year to promote wellbeing, team spirit, and social interaction across the company.
The Club is open to all employees, and its aim is to provide opportunities to connect with colleagues outside of the usual work environment through sports, social, and cultural events.
These include regular activities such as weekly draws, golf outings, running and football clubs, quizzes, seasonal celebrations, and one-off events like theatre nights or footgolf.
Participation is voluntary, and the Club is funded jointly through employee contributions and company support. Feedback and suggestions from members are always welcome, as we strive to ensure the events appeal to as many colleagues as possible.
If you'd like to join or have any suggestions, get in touch:
I’m Project Director at Eden Cricklewood, the former Galtymore Irish Dancehall site, I started out my working career as a barman, to postman, to Quantity Surveyor, to Project Manager, to Project Director, not that titles have ever mattered to me. What matters to me most is enjoying myself, enjoying my work, and healthy family and friends.
I moved away from JJ Rhatigan and London during Covid and returned in 2023. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been selected as Guest Editor to give an insight into what it’s like to work for JJ Rhatigan London. It got me thinking; this is the perfect opportunity to give this AI craic a go, so I sheepishly agreed. Funnily enough ChatGPT can’t tell me what I enjoy about London or JJ Rhatigan, so I’ve had to scribble down some thoughts myself.
Good People, Cold Pints, and Sweaty Tubes: What Makes Working in JJR London Work
What’s the worst part of working in London? I’m a cool weather man, so for me it’s the tube in summer, standing in a slow cooker, pressed against another’s steaming armpit is not fun.
What’s the best part of working in London? Also, the tube in summer. It means no car to drive home, no guards to dodge, no panic. It means a weekly debrief between sites and office, sometimes at a halfway point, but more often than not, in The Twelve Pins, Finsbury Park.
Delicious, crispy, after work pints. Fun.
With the recent announcement of the London office’s relocation to Finsbury Square later this year, this summer will likely be a farewell to our beloved Twelve Pins, a staple of JJ Rhatigan life; from work christening to farewell and everything in between.
This editor’s note is not just about one man’s love for his after-work pints, it’s much more than that, there are a few of us.
The positive culture at JJ Rhatigan is not by chance and is the result of a lot of likeminded people, treated as equals, treated fairly and given the opportunity to succeed.
This being my second stint at JJ Rhatigan, I see all the same traits from the 2019 squad as I do in our current squad. Our consistency being only one aspect of our recent success, I thought I’d put the spotlight on some of the team on what they believe makes JJ Rhatigan London a success and a good place to work.
Introducing: Paris, Shane, Sinem and Victor:
Shane Coll Quantity Surveyor
Paris Roberts Quality & Environmental Officer
Sinem Yilmaz Design Manager
Victor Corcinschi Facade Manager
With guest editor: Dwaine McVey, Project Director at Eden Cricklewood
What’s the worst thing about living in London?
PR: It is very expensive and grumpy commuters
SC: The tube in the warm weather.
SY: Its expensive, increasing crime and safety issues, crowds and lots of tourists, which I don’t enjoy.
VC: Traffic congestion, long waiting times in emergency hospitals, high cost of living, noise and crowds & limited green space in some areas.
What’s the best thing about living in London?
PR: The convenience of living in a big city and the good transport links
SC: The transport links, for example if I were to organize to meet some of the other JJR team members whether that be another site or head office everything is feasible within the M25.
SY: It’s very multicultural, you can easily find food, shops, and communities from your own culture. The city is alive 24/7, so there is always entertainment and something to do.
VC: Multinational community, rich history and architecture, career opportunities, world-class arts and entertainment
What’s the best part about working for JJ Rhatigan London?
PR: The people we work with and the interesting projects.
SC: The JJR team. There is a very close-knit group in JJR London & there is also a social occasion of some sort which is inclusive for everybody.
SY: Work autonomy, having open, easy communication with the managers. There are no big barriers, and people are approachable.
VC: Strong company culture, career development, empowering management, project variety and innovation. JJ Rhatigan places a strong emphasis on safety, innovation, and sustainability, which resonates with employees who value purpose-driven work.
If you were to change one thing about working at JJ Rhatigan, what would it be?
PR: The location of the head office.
SC: Change the office location.
SY: Change the office location or improve the work environment.
VC: More predictable resource planning
What do you believe makes JJ Rhatigan successful?
PR: The efficiency and productivity of the teams that dedicate their time to ensuring their jobs are done well.
SC: I believe the drive, attention to detail & client relations of the JJR team is the key to what makes JJR successful.
SY: The company gives chances to people who are hardworking and motivated. It supports people to grow and succeed through their own effort.
VC: Strong reputation for quality delivery, skilled and empowered workforce, strong leadership and culture
When I returned to London after Covid, there wasn’t ever a question of where I’d like to work, I’d previously felt at home here, felt appreciated here and fitted right in with a bunch of people with the same mindset as myself.
It turns out our people feel the same, JJ Rhatigan is a success because of each one of us, given the opportunity to grow our careers, delivering challenging projects for respected clients. The worst part? The office in Seven Sisters. It has served us well, but the welcome news that it’s onto pastures new in November signals senior management listen to us and are happy to invest for us to continue doing what were doing.
Disclaimer: This article was never intended to be a script bigging up JJ Rhatigan or about a mans love for a beer but turns out AI can’t tell you what to think, nor can it go for after work pints.
I hope everyone on both sides of the water is making use of the good weather, it’s great for building and it’s great for life.
Best,
Dwaine
Local watering hole, The Twelve Pins
Success Stories
Academic Achievements
Ben Pieterse completed Site Managers: A Practical Approach to Building Regulations with the CIF
Ciaran Crosby completed Advanced Excel for Engineers with Engineers Ireland
Kiera Conway completed eTenders and Bid Management for Suppliers course with CMG
Brendan Burke completed Introduction to Asta Powerproject with Elecosoft
Lauren Kelly completed Employment Tax course with CMG and Practical Payroll course with IPASS
Academic Excellence
In April, Ryana Maciel Miranda received the “Academic Excellence Award of year 3 in Energy Engineering” Award from ATU. She was gifted a voucher which she used to go on a trip after she concluded her studies. Well done, Ryana!
Robert Emmett's
JJ Rhatigan is proud to continue our sponsorship of the Robert Emmett’s Hurling team in London for another season. The club, rooted in history community spirit, brings together players from across Ireland, including some of our own JJ Rhatigan staff members who are proud to wear the jersey both on and off the pitch. Here’s to another great season and continued success for The Bobbies!
Golf AM-AM
JJ Rhatigan, along with Radisson Red Galway were the main sponsors of the Galwegians AMAM fundraiser that took place on June 20th in Galway Golf Club. A great day was had by all, on one of the hottest days of the year!
Supporting Communities
Shout! UK Sports Day
We were proud to be the 'Health & Wellbeing Sponsor' of this year’s SHOUT! Sports Day, an incredible event promoting physical and mental health in the community, organised by the fantastic team at Ashford Place.
Our close partnership with Ashford Place on our Cricklewood site made this event especially meaningful for us. Members of both our Cricklewood and wider JJR team were delighted to attend and take part in the day’s activities, from energetic sports challenges to engaging mental wellbeing sessions.
A highlight was the inspiring panel discussion featuring Frank Bruno, Former World Heavyweight Champion, and Rachel Yankey, Former England Football Player, who shared powerful insights on resilience, performance, and mental health.
Cast Consultancy Charity Football Tournament
Some of our UK team took part in the Cast Consultancy Charity Football Tournament on 26th June at Shoreditch Power League. The team put in an impressive performance, making it all the way to the semifinals, where they faced off once again against Cast Consultancy’s team- who narrowly knocked them out. A great effort by all involved for a fantastic cause!
Lighthouse Charity
On Friday, June 13th, team members from JJ Rhatigan were proud to attend the Lighthouse Charity Ireland Summer Lunch at The Mansion House in Dublin and to be auction sponsors for this wonderful event.
This annual event brings together over 500 industry leaders to raise crucial funds and support mental health initiatives within Ireland’s construction community. Funds raised directly supports free services for the wellbeing and welfare of Ireland’s construction workers and their families - making a real, positive difference in their lives.
COMPETITION
Win a two-night stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin or Radisson Red Hotel, Galway or a Central London Hotel*
We’re excited once again to run our exclusive competition! All JJ Rhatigan employees have the chance to win a luxurious two-night stay for two at the hotel of their choice, including breakfast and one evening meal.
All you need to do is click the link or scan the QR code and answer one simple question (clue: you'll find the answer in this newsletter):
Which London Based Hurling Team is sponsored by JJ Rhatigan?
A: The Constance Markievicz’s
B: The Michael Ds
C: The Robert Emmett’s
If you have some good news or academic achievement you'd like to share in the next edition, send the details in an email to:
