The footballers of Mayo and Roscommon will fly the flag for Connacht when they contest the All-Ireland senior and minor finals respectively at Croke Park on September 17. Supporting them in their quest for glory is Martin Wilson, chairman of the North-West branch of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). It's a huge weekend for Mayo and Roscommon who go in search of big prizes at GAA headquarters." Mayo will be hoping to upset the odds by beating Kerry in what is a repeat of the 2004 final. Roscommon, meanwhile will be going in search of their first All-Ireland minor title since 1951 when they also play the Kingdom." Both games have captured the imagination of people west of the Shannon, and one man who is hoping for a Connacht double is the chairman of the North-West branch of the Construction Industry Federation, Martin Wilson." "Mayo face a daunting challenge against hot favourites Kerry, but their performances thus far and especially against Dublin, suggest that the team is physically and mentally tough enough for the task," he says." "Roscommon, with Fergal O'Donnell at the helm, have surprised even their own supporters by getting to the minor final. They love being underdogs and I'm sure they will revel in that role against Kerry." Under Mickey Moran's guidance, Mayo have bounced back from a disappointing 2005 to make it to the last two in the race for Sam Maguire. They beat Leitrim and Galway to emerge from Connacht and set up a glamour meeting with Leinster champions Dublin after accounting for Laois after a replay. And after an epic contest, they emerged victorious by 1-16 to 2-12. On the same day as Mayo beat the Dubs, another Connacht side, Leitrim made their first appearance at Croke Park since 1994 when they met Louth in the Tommy Murphy Cup final. Unfortunately, they were no match for the Wee County side on the day." Leitrim were arguably the unluckiest team in this year's championship, losing both of their games against Mayo and Sligo by a point. However, they have put those disappointments behind them to qualify." There were joyous scenes after the 2-12 to 0-8 victory over Carlow in the semi-final as Leitrim earned themselves a rare trip to GAA headquarters." Looking ahead to All-Ireland day and the involvement of Mayo and Roscommon, Martin says."It's great to see both counties still involved at this late stage of the year. The two have put in a lot of work and hopefully they'll be rewarded for that. There will be a lot of happy people in the west if they both manage to pull off wins," Martin adds. A native of Enniscrone but now living in Beltra, Co. Sligo, Wilson is in his second year as chairman of the North-West branch of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). The branch has over 230 members and meets on a monthly basis to discuss issues relating to the construction industry. The meetings alternate between Ballina, Castlebar, Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon. Martin's responsibilities include chairing branch meetings and representing the region at national level." The CIF actively represents and serves over 3,000 members covering businesses in all areas of the Irish construction industry through a network of 14 branches and through its 37 sectoral associations. The branches are: Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny/Carlow, Midlands, Mid-West, North-West, North-East, South-East, Wicklow and North Wexford." The Federation delivers its services to members either directly or through its branch network and sectoral associations. Member firms come from all sectors of the industry and span all sizes of firms. The CIF's headquarters are located on Canal Road, Dublin 6 where director general Liam Kelleher is based. Sub-offices are located in Galway and Cork." The 37 different associations are grouped in four key categories: general contractors; mechanical and electrical contractors; specialist contractors; home builders. Each local CIF branch includes members from each of these four sectors." "We're the voice of the construction industry and represent the membership. We provide information on issues such as planning, development, health and safety, industrial relations, tendering and contracting, pension schemes, insurance and training courses," Martin explains." The Sligo man is happy to report that the construction trade continues to go from strength to strength." "There are 253,000 people directly employed in construction in this country, and about 15 per cent of that figure is made up of non-nationals. One-third of our housing stock has been built in the last 10 years." "It's a great time for the industry and jobs are in plentiful supply. Hundreds of people are coming into the country every week seeking work and we welcome them. It's some change from a few years ago when people were emigrating in their droves." Significant activity and employment growth marked 2005 as another successful year for the sector. Construction activity continues to be dominated by the residential sector where a record level of 81,000 new housing units was achieved. Housing output now accounts for over 60 per cent of total construction investment." The outlook for the industry in 2006 is for the volume of activity to grow by 4.5 per cent. Total estimated receipt for the exchequer for 2005 in the form of direct and indirect taxes from the housing sector is estimated to be in the region of EUR8 billion." The CIF is proud of its links with the GAA, and several hundred of its members are involved with clubs around the country. There are a couple of interesting links with the Leitrim and Mayo teams. Former North-West branch chairman Oliver Haslette is an avid Leitrim fan and his son, Ronan, represented the county at senior level a few years ago." Mayo star Kieran McDonald is employed as a pipe layer with the Galway-based company Ward & Burke Civil Engineers. "His ability to take hard hits on the pitch is definitely helped by his physically demanding work," Martin points out." Incidentally, Martin succeeded another Crossmolina man Kieran Mulhern as CIF North-West chairman last year. Pat Reynolds from Carrick-on-Shannon also held the position for a period of time." A carpenter by trade, Martin runs his own company called Moymart Developments Ltd. The company is based in Beltra and specialises in house building and general construction. Martin is currently working on a housing scheme in Enniscrone and on a school extension at Beltra." In conclusion, he says: "The CIF supports and encourages its members to get involved in the GAA. It is a great organisation and one that we are proud and delighted to be associated with." Tweet

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