ICE Republic of Ireland marks decades of contributions to civil engineering

ICE Republic of Ireland Local Association has celebrated the careers of three civil engineers who’ve made a significant contribution to the country’s infrastructure and the advancement of the profession.

The 2020, 2021 and 2022 Outstanding Achievement Awards were presented to Murt Coleman, Don McEntee and the late Hank Fogarty, respectively.

The awards for 2020 and 2021 had been deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The annual dinner was held in the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland.

Outstanding Achievement Award 2020 – Murt Coleman

Murt Coleman took home the 2020 award for his contribution to contracting in Ireland, as well as his voluntary work promoting civil engineering with Engineers Ireland.

Coleman is a Chartered Engineer and fellow of Engineers Ireland. His career as a civil engineer spans almost 50 years.

Career

He graduated from University College Galway with a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in civil engineering.

He then spent four decades working at Irishenco, a heavy civil engineering and marine contracting company. He rose through the ranks to become managing director.

At Irishenco, he was responsible for the construction of major civil engineering projects including bridges and harbour works in Ireland and Africa.

Notable projects include:

• The Eastlink and Westlink Bridges in Dublin
• Mizen Head Bridge in County Donegal
• Limerick University Bridge over the River Shannon
• Howth Harbour and Marina
• Killybegs Harbour development
• Castletown Harbour development
• Tory Island Pier
• Numerous marine works in Dublin Port
• A dam in County Donegal

Professional membership and volunteering

Coleman is also well known for his work with Engineers Ireland, where he’s been actively involved with its council and the executive as an elected member, chairman of the Finance Committee for eight years, and as secretary of the Engineers Club.

His contributions to the work of the institution were honoured with a President’s Award at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards in 2017.

Coleman maintains his interest in engineering through participation as a member of the Engineers Ireland Civil Division committee. As a contractor, he contributes to the workings and deliberations of the committee.

He also represented the civil division as a member of the European Council of Civil Engineers.

Furthermore, he represents Engineers Ireland on the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s Construction Standards Consultative Committee TC006.

As a member of the Gluas Light Rail for Galway committee, Coleman is a strong advocate and campaigner for light rail as an alternative means of transport that would reduce the chronic traffic congestion and pollution in Galway city.

Outstanding Achievement Award 2021 – Don McEntee

The 2021 award was presented to Don McEntee for his work on Ireland’s infrastructure and his promotion of the profession for over half a century.

McEntee is a Chartered Engineer and long-time member of both the ICE and Engineers Ireland.

He has extensive engineering, project management and office management experience in roads, transportation, sanitary, civil, structural and municipal engineering.

Career

McEntee graduated from University College Dublin in 1967 with a BE in civil engineering and a master’s in sanitary engineering.

He joined the consulting firm of De Leuw, Chadwick & O’hEocha as a design engineer.

During his 11 years with the firm, he worked on a wide variety of projects in Ireland, Canada, Zambia, Tanzania and Nigeria.

He spent the next five years in the commercial property development sector, as head of design for Lyon Industrial Estates Ltd. and technical director with Hickey Construction Ltd.

Dublin City Council

Following a brief spell with another consultant, DeLap and Waller, in 1984, McEntee joined Dublin City Council where he remained for 25 years until his retirement in 2009.

During that time, McEntee developed a passion for water and wastewater management, which he applied to bring about major changes in the way that water runoff is managed in the Dublin region.

McEntee was project manager for the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, covering seven local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area with a population of 1.2 million people.

Together with the Office of Public Works, he managed flooding studies and the implementation of flood alleviation works for the rivers Tolka and Dodder.

He pioneered Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDs), helping to adopt SuDs across the Greater Dublin Area.

As a result, it’s now a standard planning condition. Its implementation is reversing years of poor environmental practice in urban drainage.

In retirement, McEntee actively promotes the Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICW) concept.

ICWs can be a cost-effective way of dealing with pollution from domestic septic tanks and proprietary wastewater treatment systems.

In 2010, McEntee was a member of a steering committee and technical working group that developed a guidance document on the use of ICWs for farmyard soiled water and domestic wastewater applications.

This guidance was published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Currently, a number of these systems are being constructed around the country.

Professional membership, volunteering and publications

McEntee has also been a key member of the ICE Republic of Ireland Committee for many years.

He’s served terms as chair, secretary, and as Republic of Ireland country representative to the European region, from which he stepped down just at the end of 2021.

In addition to his commitment to the ICE, he’s served as:

• Chair of the Association of Municipal Engineers in Ireland
• Vice chair of Engineers Ireland’s Local Authority Vocational Group
• Member of the Engineers Ireland Benevolent Fund Committee

McEntee has published several technical papers and articles on his principal areas of interest – sanitation, drainage and water management.

In addition, he co-wrote a book with Michael Corcoran, titled The Rivers Dodder and Poddle: Mills, Storms, Droughts and the Public Water Supply.

Published by Dublin City Council in 2016, it gives a history of the mills on these two Dublin rivers and the Waterworks at Bohernabreena, a vital component of Dublin’s water supply since 1887.

Outstanding Achievement Award 2022 – Hank Fogarty

The 2022 award was presented posthumously to Hank Fogarty, who passed away unexpectedly in May of this year.

A Chartered Engineer and fellow of Engineers Ireland, Fogarty had over 40 years’ practical experience in civil engineering and building construction. Of these, 38 were spent with the SIAC Group.

Career

Fogarty graduated from University College Dublin in 1967 with a BE in civil engineering.

In 1971 he joined SIAC, the South of Ireland Asphalt Company, as it was then known.

He directed SIAC’s civil engineering business from 1979 to 2009, serving as a director for 23 years. During this time SIAC grew into one of Ireland's most successful construction groups.

He was responsible for SIAC's civil engineering and building business in the UK from 1987 to 2004.

He looked after the purchase of Butler's Steel in 1996, and its re-branding and development as SIAC Butlers Steel Ltd.

He also oversaw the SIAC Group's commercial development interests from 1994 to 2009.

On his retirement as managing director of SIAC Construction Ltd in 2009, Fogarty was appointed to the Dispute Resolution Board of Engineers Ireland, acting as conciliator, mediator and arbitrator on several construction projects.

He also lectured at Trinity College Dublin, on the post-graduate diploma course in Construction Law and Contract Administration.

Professional membership and volunteering

Fogarty was actively involved in the Construction Industry Federation for more than 25 years. He served in various capacities including a term as its president in 2007 and 2008.

He also served as president of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association.

In 2014, he was appointed chairman of the registration board of Construction Industry Registration Ireland (CIRI).

Fogarty was also an active member of Engineers Ireland, forming part of its Accreditation Board and the Dispute Resolution Board.

The award was accepted by Fogarty’s son, Paul, on behalf of his family.