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John Sisk & Son – How an Irish firm built a legacy out of the Great Famine

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In the wake of one of Ireland’s most tumultuous periods, the Great Famine, John Sisk & Son founder John Sisk grew up the orphaned son of a plasterer, using his skills to build churches, banks and hotels.

Now, more than 160 years later, with €1 billion plus in annual turnover and huge projects under its belt, let’s look back at where it all started for the family-owned Irish business and how they got to where they are today…

John Sisk, George H. Sisk. Credit: John Sisk & Sons

The company was founded in 1859 by John Sisk in Cork, Ireland, the same year he married his wife Kate Burke.

Sisk was born in Cork, in 1837, set in the backdrop of a period of great turmoil for Ireland, as famine ravished the country and reduced the population by two million due to either death or emigration. 

According to the Irish Independent, Sisk was orphaned at a young age, losing his parents to the cholera epidemic, before starting out as an apprentice to a Quaker plasterer at the age of 22, following in the footsteps of his father, Patrick.

In 1882, he began work on major public buildings, bringing churches to local communities, starting with the Parish church Castleisland, Country Kerry, then moving onto St Mary’s of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, County Tipperary in 1896.

The firm’s major contracts in the late 19th century were marked by church, bank and hotel projects, with Nenagh Church being the largest of the 21 churches built in the period.

The church was built in the style of the thirteenth-century English Gothic style under the leadership of ecclesiastical architect Walter Doolin, and is alleged to have changed the landscape of the town for years to come.

His son, John Valentine Sisk, who initially started his own business but re-joined his father in 1907, and the name was changed to John Sisk & Son to reflect his re-entry in the company.

In October 1921, the company’s founder died, two months after the establishment of the Irish Free State, with his son becoming the sole owner in the wake of his death. 

Sisk finishes work on Ireland’s tallest building, Liberty Hall. Credit: John Sisk & Son

John Valentine Sisk’s second son of three children, John Gerard, joined the company in 1931 receiving a degree in Civil Engineering from University College Cork.

Four years later, the company built Cork City Hall, and in the year following John G. established its Dublin branch, with his wife Mollie as secretary and cousin Herbert Dennis as foreman.

It was only until 1946 that John Sisk & Son designed the iconic brand logo that it has kept to this day.

The 1950s were a period of growth and expansion for the firm winning its first £1 million contract in 1952 with the TB hospital in Galway and expanding into Africa in 1957.

A year before the baton was passed to George H Sisk to lead the company in 1966, Sisk finished work in Ireland’s tallest building, the Liberty Hall. 

Between 1980 and 2000 Sisk completed several notable projects: 

  • The Square, Tallaght, Dublin (1987) –  the first of four large shopping complexes built in Dublin’s suburbs; briefly the largest shopping centre in Ireland.
  • The American Air Museum in Duxford (1991) – The first UK National lottery-funded project.
  • Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (1997) 

The new millennium marked an era of sizable projects including the phased redevelopment of Croke Park Stadium, Dublin in 2004, which took nearly a decade to complete, and the reconfiguration of Wembley Arena in 2006.

The company celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009, then going on to complete the redevelopment of the Aviva Stadium in 2020, the world’s oldest international rugby union stadium.

Sisk also completed four projects for the London Olympics including the award winning shooting venues, later to be transported and rebuilt by Sisk for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Woolwich Shooting Gallery. Credit: John Sisk & Son

It then went on to complete works on Crossrail as part of Dragados Sisk Joint Venture (DSJV) as well as completing the Capital Dock, Ireland’s highest residential tower.

John Sisk founded the Irish family-owned business, following immense turmoil for his country and grew it to be the company that would then go on to have numerous projects under its belt across multiple countries, celebrating 160 years in 2019.

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If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news editor miles@wavenews.co.uk 

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