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New frontage of the Royal Dublin Society, 1928

The foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 gave Collen Brothers an opportunity to re-
establish their association with the Royal Dublin Society. The Provisional Government took
over Leinster House in 1922, forcing the society to abandon its headquarters in the city
centre and relocate to Ballsbridge. Lucius O’Callaghan, of O’Callaghan and Webb architects,
designed the new buildings at Ballsbridge, while Collen Brothers acted as the general
building contractor.

The most extensive phase of the rebuilding programme began in 1926, when Collen was
given responsibility for providing a new frontage to the RDS. This involved the demolition of
the original red brick frontage of the hall constructed in 1880. Instead Collen constructed
new granite faced buildings of a neo-Georgian style flanking the main entrance, which was
faced up to bring it into harmony with the surrounding structures. The project entailed the
reconstruction of the central features of the frontage; the redeveloped frontage of 562 feet
was even longer than before. The frontage and adjoining buildings were completed by the
summer of 1928; the achievement of the architect and builders was widely acclaimed both
by national newspapers and specialised trade journals.

Water Tower, Curragh Camp, 1900

The company maintained a commercial relationship with
the British army in the period leading up to the First
World War. Collen Brothers played a central part in the
rebuilding of the Curragh camp, which began before 1900
and continued through the first decade of the new
century. Among the projects constructed by the firm was a
massive new water tower, which was completed in 1908
and became a notable feature of the Curragh’s landscape.

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