Nicholas O'Dwyer
B.E., M.I.C.E.I., M. Inst. W.E.

Building a New Nation

The firm was founded in 1932 by Nicholas O'Dwyer following his earlier career as Chief Engineering Inspector in the Department of Local Government, a post he occupied since the foundation of the state in 1922. In addition to engineering matters with that Department he also represented Ireland on a League of Nations Committee on Public Health Engineering and acted on the League's European Advisory Committee on Rural Hygiene. In his private practice he specialized in the design of water supply and drainage schemes for local authorities, a business sector in which the firm still has a high level of interest and expertise.

Nicholas was President of the Institution of Engineer's of Ireland from 1934 to 1936 and his service and commitment to the Institution is commemorated by the Nicholas O'Dwyer Award which is awarded by Engineers Ireland for the best paper on Public Health Engineering.

Foundations for Consulting Engineering in Ireland

During the 1950s and 1960s the firm moved from a family business to a partnership and then to private company status. The name Nicholas O'Dwyer remained but the last member of the family to be involved in the business left the practice in the 1950's . During this period the firm designed much of the water services facilities that forms the backbone of the country's infrastructure with schemes such as North Dublin Drainage, Kildare Regional Water Supply and Waterford City Water Supply to the fore.

A silver tray which was presented to Nicholas by the staff and former staff of the firm commemorating his 25 years in Consulting Engineering tells a tale of the origins of many of the major consulting engineering firms and in a way the history of Consulting Engineering in Ireland. Inscribed on the tray are signatures of the founders of some of the country's most well know firms, John B Barry, Patrick J Tobin, all protégées of our founder.

Reaching Outward

The stirring of a more confident and outward looking nation that emerged in the 1960s found the firm seeking new markets on a more global stage. With the purchase of a business in Zambia, Nicholas O'Dwyer began operations in Africa where it was responsible for the Lusaka Water Supply Scheme and went on to set up offices in many countries in Southern Africa. The international company in the Group, Nicholas O'Dwyer and Co. Ltd. continues to do business throughout the developing world and since the millennium has carried out very significant projects throughout Eastern Europe.

During this period the firm also began working in Northern Ireland and our office in Newry now flourishes and is an established voice there. Offices were also established in Limerick and in Cork (O'Connell Harley O'Dwyer).

An Independent Voice in a Era of Globalization

From the recessions of the 1980's and early 1990's when numbers in the firm's home offices were radically reduced the firm under the current management has grown to become one of the largest independently owned Consulting Engineers in Ireland. We have been to the forefront in the development of new water services infrastructure under the NDP and Department of Environment Programme and have led the industry in the procurement of facilities on multiple sites as bundled DBO contracts. Innovative technology has been introduced in the field of Wastewater Engineering, notably pilot projects in vacuum systems and in STEDS for the treatment of small community waste.

On a more local level the firm has managed much of the Dublin Docklands infrastructure development and has been a consultant to the Authority there since the late 1990s.

With the massive development underway across the country and the emphasis on development by design build and by Public Private Partnership the firms portfolio of clients has expanded and diversified and includes many of the country's leading contracting firms. Indeed this work has grown to such an extent that a separate branch of the firm Nicholas O'Dwyer Design and Development has now been established to service this work without conflict of interest with Local Authority clients.

With the acquisition of Lynch McNulty, a structural practice in Sligo, in 2006 the firm now has offices in the North West added to the existing network of Dublin, Newry, Limerick and Cork.

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