Construction industry gossip: Master of spin

By Joseph Aloysius Hansom2022-08-12T05:00:00

Who knew how much musical talent the industry was hiding?

Big shots

My thanks to the reader who alerted me to a music video on YouTube. Not being au fait with popular music I was sceptical, but McAlpine’s Fusiliers by the Dubliners – a ballad about the Irish labourers who came to Britain in the 20th century – got my attention. The song’s title refers to Sir Robert McAlpine, a big employer of Irish men back then – and also of the late great Benny Kelly (from Northern Ireland’s Newry) who rose up to be the company’s London director in the 1990s. The tributes paid to Benny after his death last month show the regard in which he was held, and the same could be said of McAlpine if you read the comments below the video – it’s hard not to be moved by the memories the song clearly stirs up.

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