
EXPERIENCED TEAM OF SPECIALISTS
Our Team

With more than 100 employees and an annual turnover of over €40 million, KPH Construction is a well-established and technically capable construction specialist. Our projects demand a level of expertise that is beyond the scope of many smaller building contractors. We can meet the needs of virtually any assignment, however complex, and our clients are confident of this ability. It is a reputation that results from a wealth of experience built up over many years in the industry and, above all, the talent of our people.
KPH Construction is a company that takes the long view. We place a high value on continuity, and most of our people have been with us for almost a decade – some for much longer. We encourage and support professional and personal development, and invest heavily in training and education, nurturing the next generation of talent to ensure the long-term growth of the brand.

Brian Gallivan
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Kenmare Plant Hire was founded in 1993 by Brian Gallivan and began trading as KPH Construction in 2008. Brian has steered the company from the early days of plant hire contracts to a highly successful Construction and Civil Engineering company with over €75m worth of work currently on site.

Donald Lynch
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
Donald Lynch has been employed with the company since 1995, his background is in engineering and he has extensive Quantity Surveying experience. Donald oversees all financial dealings of the firm as well as maintaining a keen interest in the civils and utility contracts.

Micheál O’Shea MCIOB
CONTRACTS DIRECTOR
Micheál O’Shea, A Chartered Construction Manager with a Mechanical & Electrical background, joined the company in 2002 as a Project Manager. He is responsible for overseeing most of the Residential, Retail & Hospitality projects as well as the company resource planning & logistics.

Finbar Healy MCIOB
SAFETY, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT & COMPLIANCE MANAGER
Finbar Healy is a Chartered Construction manager who has been with KPH Construction since 2012. His 35 years in construction have covered work across a broad spectrum of sectors and he now heads up health, safety & environmental, contract negotiations, quality assurance, programming and pre-qualifications.

James Casey MCIOB
PROCUREMENT MANAGER
James Casey has been working for KPH since 2013 and has brings a wealth of experience to the company. James has managed some of Corks most iconic builds including Mahon Point Shopping Centre and Half Moon Lane. He is a qualified Civils Engineer as well as a Chartered Construction Manager and looks after a lot of the commercial contracts as well as procurement.

Kevin Elphick BSc QS
QUANTITY SURVEYOR
Kevin is a fully qualified Quantity Surveyor who began life with KPH Construction 6 years ago as a part time plant operator. On completion of his BSC (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from CIT in 2020, Kevin joined us full time and now assists with all estimating, procurement and project cost management.

Owen O’Connell
CONTRACTS MANAGER
With over 15 years’ experience in Civil and Structural engineering within the construction industry. Owen has a wealth of experience and expertise. Owen graduated from the Institute of Technology, Sligo with an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering. He joined our KPH Construction team in 2020 following a successful career as a Senior Project Manager in London overseeing several large-scale prestigious projects from inception to completion.

Jimmy (James) Murphy
CONTRACTS MANAGER (CIVILS)
Jimmy (James) Murphy has recently joined us as a contracts manager and brings a wealth of knowledge in utilities & civils. He has spent 30 years working on windfarms, ESB Ducting projects, motorways and HV Substation projects. He now looks after all of our Civil and Groundwork works.

Frank Keyes
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Frank Keyes has been a Senior Project Manager with KPH for over 10 years. He has a degree in Quantity Surveying, a diploma in Civil Engineering and a passion for working with concrete. His career spans over 20 years and includes many prestigious builds in and around Dublin.

James Sheehan
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER (CIVILS)
James has been with KPH for 20 years and has progressed through the ranks from machine driver up to Senior Project Manager. He now looks after all of the larger civils and utility projects. James coordinates the sequence of works, the hiring of labour, creating and agreeing the works programme, ensuring all programmes are met and controlling the budgets for these works.

Ivan McCarthy MCIOB
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Ivan McCarthy is a Chartered Construction Manager who has worked at KPH since 2003. With a background as a joiner, Ivan now oversees many of our prestigious residential and commercial contracts. Ivan’s eye for detail and constant strive for excellence ensures that even the most discerning customers regularly sing his praises.

Michael Boland MCIOB
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Michael has degrees in both Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Trinity College, Dublin. He started his career as a site engineer on numerous projects around the country before joining KPH Construction in 2016, where over the last 7 years, he has progressed to Senior Project Manager and recently become a Chartered Construction Manager.

Thomas Harrington MCIOB
PROJECT MANAGER
Thomas is a Chartered Construction Manager and qualified carpenter with over 20 years construction experience. His potential was spotted whilst working as a drylining subcontractor before he was taken on as a site foreman over 10 years ago. He has progressed from managing small fit outs to looking after multi million euro new builds. His latest project is a 140 unit housing development in Co Kerry.

Aaron O’Sullivan
ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER
Aaron O’Sullivan joined the KPH team in early 2020 as an assistant Project Manager. His background is Mainly RC Frame and Groundworks after spending the previous few years in London as a Project Manager with Oliver Connell LTD covering multiple sites. His most recent work is a 42-unit social housing development in Cork City.

Ben O’Sullivan MCIOB
ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER
Ben O’Sullivan is a Chartered Construction Manager who first started working with KPH Construction in 2013. Ben brings great determination and knowledge to our team. He has worked his way up from plant operator to assistant project manager across many projects. His current duties include coordinating the Health & Safety on site, quality control, sequencing of works, material ordering and supervision of all domestic and nominated subcontractors.

Fionán O’Shea MCIOB
SITE MANAGER
Fionán O’Shea is a Chartered Construction Manager and qualified Carpenter with over 25 years experience, who has been with KPH since 2003, where he has progressed from trainee carpenter up to Site Manager. Fionán works on a variety of projects from healthcare to residential. He has recently finished a 25 unit housing development in Cork City.

Micheál McSweeney
SITE MANAGER
Micheál McSweeney is a Site Manager who joined KPH Construction back in 2016. Before starting with KPH Construction, Micheál had over 20 years’ experience working in the industry. He has brought great leadership and expertise to the firm and has been involved in many successful builds across the retail, hospitality and commercial sectors.

Keith Harrington
SITE MANAGER
Keith Harrington has been part of our KPH Construction team since 2006. Keith has brought great work and knowledge to our firm as he has shown his ability and keen eye for detail. He has progressed from an apprentice carpenter & joiner to Site Manager, most recently overseeing 2 housing projects for Kerry County Council.

Sean (John) Murphy
SITE MANAGER
Seán Murphy is a Site Manager who trained as a carpenter over 25 years ago. He gained experience working in London, New York and Australia before joining us (for the second time) some 6 years ago. Seán has now completed over 100 homes for us. He is our resident expert for Insulated Concrete Formwork construction.

Shane Foley
SITE MANAGER
Shane, is a qualified carpenter, who joined us in 2019 and brought a wealth of knowledge from Australia, Qatar, Dubai and the UK. This experience spanned many sectors including Windfarms, Substations, RC Frames, Office Fit Outs and Residential Developments. He has been a valuable addition to the team.

Donnacha Brouder
SITE ENGINEER
Donnacha has been part of our KPH team since 2019. He has a BSc in Civil Engineering from UL and has worked as Lead Engineer on many projects including, Cherrywood Business Park, Castlemartyr Resort and Milestream Housing Development. Donnacha’s dedication and attention to detail is exemplary.