Oldcastle Glass^® Announces Major New Strategic Initiative with Launch of New Commercial Projects Group

Company to Align Key Personnel, Financial Resources to support large architectural glazing projects

Santa Monica, CA – (January 6, 2005) — Ted Hathaway, chief executive officer of Oldcastle Glass^® announced today the formation of a new Commercial Projects Group to supply architectural glass products throughout North America. To facilitate this initiative, Oldcastle Glass^® has launched construction of a $7.5 million advanced glass fabrication plant in Wright City, Missouri. Situated on 15 acres, the 65,000 square-foot building will have more than 100 employees.

“We chose Wright City because it is centrally-located and provides a favorable economic platform to support large architectural glazing projects. It also enables us to draw upon the capabilities of our existing manufacturing locations,” said Ted Hathaway. The new facility will be operational by July 1, 2005.

“During the past decade, Oldcastle Glass^® has completed more than 25 acquisitions and now has a network of 45 operations that serves every major city in the U.S. and Canada. The addition of our new Wright City manufacturing plant enhances the company’s capabilities as North Americaís largest architectural glass supplier and solidifies its leadership position in the field,” Hathaway stated.

Oldcastle Glass^® new Commercial Projects Group will be lead by president Chuck Kaplanek. Prior to joining Oldcastle Glass^® in July, 2004, Kaplanek was president and owner of The Floral Glass Companies, now integrated as part of Oldcastle Glass^®. Under his direction, Floral became the leading provider of architectural glass in the New York market and throughout the Northeast.

The Group will consist of key company executives with extensive architectural project experience: Mary Carol Witry, Vice President; Jeff Jensen, General Manager; Doug Zacharias, Director of Business Development; and Rick Wright, Director of Technical Services. This team will be supported by Senior Architectural Sales representatives Ron Spellich, Cathy Finney, Leslie Sadler and John Krajewski, along with technical service managers Robert Williams and Matt Manning.

About Oldcastle Glass^® – Oldcastle Glass^® has a strong reputation for its quality service and innovative glass products. Some of the most high-profile architectural installations in North America feature Oldcastle Glass^®, including the Getty Center, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, The Hawaii Convention Center and the Glass Cauldron created for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Oldcastle Glass^® is a U.S. subsidiary of CRH plc, a leading international building materials and products company based in Dublin, Ireland.

For More Information contact
Susan Trimble: Director of Corporate Communications