The Irish Concrete Society will host Concrete Connections, a special networking event for members, on Thursday, 5 November 2026.

Join fellow construction professionals to hear from our guest speakers, catch up with colleagues and meet other members. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Guest speakers

John Hynes
Senior Portfolio Manager, Infrastructure Delivery, Irish Water
Matthew King
Co-Head of Infrastructure and Head of Major Project Advisory and Asset Management, KPMG

Event details

Venue: The Exchange, Fallon & Byrne, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2
Time: 3.00 p.m.–5.30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, 5 November 2026

Reserve your place

RSVP to office@concrete.ie by 29 October 2026 to reserve your place.

Join experienced industry professionals for a seminar exploring the effects of adverse weather on fresh and hardened concrete, with practical guidance on placing concrete successfully through the winter months.
Rain, sleet, snow, low temperatures and cold winds can slow strength development, delay hardening and increase heat loss in freshly placed concrete. Without appropriate protection, concrete may develop lower strength, reduced durability or become unfit for use.
The programme covers weather-related risks, concrete mix design and specification, site practice, testing, and health and safety considerations. Explore the sessions below and join the closing questions and answers session.

Date: 20th November 2026
Time: 10.00–13.00
Venue: Online
Booking: events@concrete.ie

Programme
10.00 Welcome
10.05 Introduction and General Overview: Weather, temperature effects, risk of concrete freezing | Alan Boyle, Punch Consulting Engineers
10.35 Design Options for Cold Weather Concreting: Material properties, concrete mix design, specification | Colin Heffernan, Roadstone
11.05 Site Practice: Planning, Placing and Curing: Planning, transportation, placing, curing, striking time | Raymond Fee, John Sisk & Son
11.45 Break
11.55 Testing Concrete in Cold Weather: Winter weather considerations and precautions | Neil Cooke, Mattest
12.15 Health and Safety Considerations in Cold Weather: Weather, personnel, PPE, material, site considerations | Shane Mc Donnell, PJ Hegarty & Sons
12.45 Questions and Answers
13.00 Ends

Reserve your place
Join us for practical guidance on winter concreting from experienced industry professionals.

Fees
ICS / Concrete Society NI Member: €145 / delegate
Non-member: €195 / delegate
A booking discount of 10% applies to groups of 5 or more

CPD
3 Hours

Futher Information

Join the Irish Concrete Society in October for a focused seminar series exploring how design teams can make practical, informed decisions to reduce the carbon associated with concrete use.

Across three online sessions, experienced industry professionals will share insights on standards and materials, decarbonising design, and on-site practicalities. Attendees will gain clear direction, real-world perspectives and practical guidance to support more sustainable concrete design decisions.

Why attend?

• Understand practical opportunities to reduce embodied carbon in the design and use of concrete.
• Learn from real-world perspectives across materials, design, construction and research.
• Apply clear, practical guidance to support more informed and sustainable project decisions.

Programme

9th October— Standards and Materials
10:30 Welcome & Introduction | Erin O’Donohoe, ESB
10:35 Standards | Joe Rice, Irish Cement & Aidan Fogarty, Ecocem
11:15 Materials | Keith Goodwin, Kilsaran
11:55 Q&A
12:00 Ends

16th October—Decarbonising Design
10:30 Welcome | Irish Concrete Society
10:35 Planning and Early engagement | Adela Tablas, Arup
11:15 Design Choices | Giulio Piscotti, John Sisk & Son
11:55 Q&A
12:00 Ends

23rd October – On-site Practicalities
10:30 Welcome | Irish Concrete Society
10:35 Site Considerations in Design | Domas Jurevicius, John Paul Construction
11:15 Case Study and Current Research | Maria Estrada, John Sisk & Son
11:55 Q&A
12:00 Ends

Fees

ICS Member: €145 / delegate
Non-member rate: €195 / delegate
A booking discount of 10% applies to groups of 5 or more

CPD

4.5 Hours

Email events@concrete.ie to book

Starting 28th August 2026

Covering essential information, this three half-day hybrid course suitable for all those involved in the production, design, and supervision of concrete will cover essential information to enable better understanding and knowledge of  the most used construction material in the world.

Laboratory Session: 28th August 2026, 10am to 2pm*, UCD Lab

*90 min group sessions with staggered starts and finishes

Lecture Session 1: 10th September 2024, 10am to 1pm, Online

1. Concrete Constituents
2. Concrete Mix Design
3. Specifying, Ordering, Delivery and Acceptance
4. Fresh Concrete Properties

Lecture Session 2: 18th September 2024, 10am to 1pm, Online

1. Formwork, Pre-pour Checks, and Placing
2. Compaction and Finishing
3. Curing and Strength Gain
4. Concrete Defects
5. Testing Hardened Concrete

Email: events@concrete.ie to book

We are delighted to announce the annual meeting of members and their partners with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Region of The Concrete Society will take place on 2nd and 3rd October 2026.

Hosted by the Irish Concrete Society, this year’s event will be based at The Heritage in Killenard, Co. Laois and visit the Church of Oak Distillery in Monasterevin, Co. Kildare.  Overall winner of the 42nd Annual Awards, this project is a landmark restoration and transformation of the historic Ballykelly Mills which stands as a testament to the harmonious blend of historical preservation, modern construction and sustainable design..

On Friday, the joint Annual Golf Tournament will also be held at The Heritage Golf Resort, with tee-off from 11am. The competition is individual based with the 1st place golfer winning the JKC Construction Perpetual Challenge Cup and additional prizes for 2nd and 3rd places.

Further information and registration details are available here.

Please note, this event is open to Irish Concrete Society and Concrete Society, Northern Ireland Region members only.

Booking is now closed.

Date: 17th April 2026 | Venue: Online

Overview:

Concrete is a complex and variable material, with cube samples tested to ensure that the strength of the structure meets the design specification. Occasionally test results come back below the specified strength, which may be indicative of a trend in lower results, or an isolated cube test that has failed for some other reason. Either way, low test results can call into question the safety and durability of a structure, leading to often costly and time-consuming investigations or remedial actions.

Delivered by two highly experienced industry professionals, this seminar will explain the reasons why concrete testing is carried out, the different types of strength tests, what is a failure and how concrete constituents  influence strength.

Our speakers will also examine the causes of cube failures and provide valuable information on correct sampling and testing procedures, in addition to action in the event of a failed strength test result.

Who Should Attend:

• Structural Engineers
• Site Engineers
• Main Contractors
• Specialist Sub-Contractors
• Site Supervisory Personnel
• Ready-mixed Concrete Producers

Programme:

10.30 Introduction
10.35 What is a Failure and How Results Fail | Vincent Anderson, MTS Ltd
11.10 Why Cube Tests Fail | Barry Gilroy, Mattest
11.45 Questions and Answers
12.00 Ends

Fees:

ICS Member: €95 / delegate
Non-member rate: €145 / delegate
A booking discount of 10% applies to groups of 5 or more

CPD: 1.5 Hours

Email events@concrete.ie to book

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year🎄

Thank you to all our members, council, sub-committees and speakers for your support, time and dedication throughout 2025. In the words of our chair, ‘the Society thrives because of the generosity and commitment of volunteers like you’.

Our office will close on Monday 22nd of December 2025 and reopen on Monday 5th of January 2026.

Date: 26th November 2025 | Venue: Online

Overview:

Concrete is one of the most dynamic and flexible building materials in architectural history. A multifaceted material, it has the ability to take on many forms, textures and colours.
Architectural concrete allows for extensive creative possibilities with finishes that can be polished smooth, imprinted, brushed, hammered, etched and cast in different colours to create incredibly diverse results.
Our panel of speakers will present case studies on buildings that used the colour, texture and form offered by architectural concrete to define a streetscape, integrate a home into its landscape, bring together modern and historical and create a sculptural building that connects to a contrasting environment.

Who Should Attend:

• Architects (at all levels)
• Consulting and Design Engineers
• Ready-mixed Concrete Producers
• Precast Concrete Manufacturers
• Main Contractors
• Specialist Sub-Contractors

Programme:

10.00 Introduction | Rob Curley, President AAI
10.15 Living in Landscape | Mark Arigho & Jane Larmour, Arigho, Larmour, Wheeler Architects
10.45 UCC Student Hub | Willie Carey, O’Donnell + Tuomey
11.15 Break
11.25 Castleforbes | John Macken, O’Mahony Pike
11.55 Marshall Building, LSE | Ger Carty, Grafton Architects
12.25 Questions and Answers
12.45 Ends

Fees:

ICS / RIAI / AAI Member: €95* / delegate
Non-member rate: €145*/ delegate
A booking discount of 10% applies to groups of 5 or more

* Earlybird rate available until 19th November, fees then increase to €115/€160

CPD: 2.5 RIAI Approved Points

Email events@concrete.ie to book

Date: 14th October 2025 | Venue: Trinity College Dublin

Overview:

Recycled aggregate concrete improves the added value recovery of better quality construction and demolition waste (CDW), avoiding its use for road construction or in landfilling and reduces the extraction of mineral resources. CDW production and demand for concrete are well matched, leading to small incorporation ratios of recycled aggregates having a very meaningful effect on the overall recovery ratios of concrete waste. Further, it opens the way for other, more profitable, avenues for CDW recovery, such as the use of recycled fines, after forced carbonation or thermal activation, as cement replacement. Notwithstanding the wealth of research on recycled aggregate concrete, its use as a structural material in most EU countries is met with reservations by the several agents involved in concrete construction. This presentation summarises the main ideas of a Science for Policy Report of the Joint Research Centre, overviewing the science behind recycled aggregate concrete, the current status for CDW recovery in the EU, and measures to promote recycled aggregate concrete as a common structural material.

Who Should Attend:

This free-to-attend lecture will be of interest to all those who are involved in the specification and production of concrete, to contractors and other agents of the construction sector and to those involved in construction and demolition waste management, and policy makers.

Programme:

5.45pm: Registration, Tea/Coffee
6.30pm: Use of Recycled Aggregate in Concrete lecture
7.15pm: Q&A
7.30pm: Event Ends
7.45pm: Group Dinner*

CPD: 1 Hour

Fees: Free to attend**

* Please indicate when booking if you would like to join the group for dinner and avail of the opportunity to talk further. ** There will be a charge for dinner.

Email events@concrete.ie to book

Date: 18th September 2025 | Venue: Online

Overview:

Advances in constituent materials, production processes, and construction technologies have all contributed to improvements in concrete construction. However, the successful execution of concrete construction requires sound practice on site. Careful planning of on-site resources and processes, together with coordination and communication, are necessary to minimise potential problems, and to ensure quality is achieved and maintained throughout.
In this short course, our experienced panel of speakers will provide practical information and guidance for those involved in the planning, management and supervision of concrete construction work.

Who Should Attend:

This course has been designed for all those in mid to senior level positions. Contracts managers, project managers and site engineers will all find this course very beneficial. Site supervisory personnel, consulting engineers, ready-mixed concrete producers, and client representatives will also benefit from attending.

Course Content:

09:30  Welcome
09:35  Planning | Ciaran Collins, Walls Construction
10:15   Formwork | Erich Sumperhofer, DOKA
10:45  Pre-pour Preparation | Feildhim McElhone, John Paul Construction
11.15    Break
11.25   Ordering and Delivery | Colin Heffernan, Roadstone
11:55   Placing and Compaction | Peter Bryant, KWIK RC Frames
12:25  Finishing & Curing | Joe Gartlan & Eoin O’Meara, John Sisk & Son
12:55  Site sampling and Testing | Vincent Anderson, MTS Ltd.
13.15   Q&A
13.30  Ends

CPD:

4 Hours

Fees: 

• Irish Concrete Society members: €95 pp
• Non-member: €145 pp
• 10% discount applies to groups of 5 or more

Email events@concrete.ie to book