CRH America 8-A12B Registration of securities on exchange

Exhibit 3

THIS SECURITYISA GLOBAL SECURITYWITHINTHEMEANINGOFTHE INDENTUREHEREINAFTERREFERREDTOANDISREGISTEREDINTHENAMEOF CEDE & CO.ASTHENOMINEEOFTHE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY,A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”). UNLESSTHISCERTIFICATEISPRESENTEDBYANAUTHORIZEDREPRESENTATIVEOF DTCTO CRH AMERICA, INC.ORITSAGENTFORREGISTRATIONOFTRANSFER,EXCHANGE,ORPAYMENT,ANDANYCERTIFICATEISSUEDISREGISTEREDINTHENAMEOF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (ANDANYPAYMENTISMADETO CEDE & CO.ORTOSUCHOTHERENTITYASISREQUESTEDBYANAUTHORIZEDREPRESENTATIVEOF DTC),ANYTRANSFER,PLEDGE,OROTHERUSEHEREOFFORVALUEOROTHERWISEBYORTOANYPERSONISWRONGFULINASMUCHASTHEREGISTEREDOWNERHEREOF, CEDE & CO.,HASANINTERESTHEREIN.

CRH AMERICA, INC.

6.40% GUARANTEED NOTES DUE 2033

PAYMENT OF PRINCIPAL, PREMIUM,IFANY,

AND INTEREST, FULLYAND UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEEDBY CRHPLC

Registered
No. 001	$300,000,000

CUSIP No. 12626PAF0

ISIN No. US 12626PAF09

CRH America, Inc., a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (herein called the “Company”, which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to Cede & Co., or registered assigns, the principal sum of three hundred million Dollars on October 15, 2033, and to pay interest thereon from September 29, 2003 or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 in each year, commencing April 15, 2004, at the rate of 6.40% per annum, until the principal hereof is paid or made available for payment. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in such Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be April 1 or October 1 (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securlties) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in said Indenture.

Payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and any such interest on this Security will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in New York City, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that at the option of the Company payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register.

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Security set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.

All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee referred to on the reverse hereof, directly or through an Authenticating Agent, by manual signature of an authorized signatory, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed manually or in facsimile.

Dated: September 29, 2003

CRH America, Inc.
As Issuer
By:	/s/ Michael O’Driscoll
	Name: Michael O’Driscoll
	Title:   Director

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CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

JPMorgan Chase Bank,
As Trustee
By	/s/ GLENN W. ANDERSEN
	Authorized Officer
	GLENN W. ANDERSEN
	VICE PRESIDENT

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(REVERSE)

This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company (herein called the “Securities”), issued and to be issued in one or more series under an Indenture, dated as of March 20, 2002 (herein called the “Indenture”, which term shall have the meaning assigned to it in such instrument), among the Company, CRH plc, a public limited company duly existing and organized under the laws of the Republic of Ireland, (the “Guarantor”, which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture) and JPMorgan Chase Bank, a banking corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, as Trustee (herein called the “Trustee”, which term includes any other successor trustee under the Indenture), and reference is hereby made to the Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Guarantor, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security, one of the series designated on the face hereof, is limited in aggregate principal amount to $300,000,000.

The Securities of this series are subject to redemption upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice by mail, as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company or the Guarantor, at a Redemption Price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, and (ii) as certified to the Trustee by the Company or the Guarantor, the sum of the present values of the Remaining Scheduled Payments discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate plus 25 basis points, together with, in each case, accrued interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed to the date of redemption. In connection with such optional redemption the following defined terms apply:

• “Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity (computed as of the third business day immediately preceding that redemption date) of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that redemption date.

• “Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Independent Investment Banker that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the notes. “Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by the Company or the Guarantor to act as the “Independent Investment Banker”.

• “Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date, (i) the average of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) on the third business day preceding that redemption date, as set forth in the daily statistical release designated H.15 (519)

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(or any successor release) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and designated “Composite 3:30 p.m. Quotations for U.S. Government Securities” or (ii) if such release (or any successor release) is not published or does not contain such prices on such business day, (A) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest of such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (B) if the Independent Investment Banker for the notes obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such Quotations.

• “Reference Treasury Dealer” means each of Banc of America Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and their respective successors and one other nationally recognized investment banking firm that is a Primary Treasury Dealer specified from time to time by the Company, provided, however, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), the Company or the Guarantor shall substitute therefore another nationally recognized investment banking firm that is a Primary Treasury Dealer.

• “Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 3:30 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding that redemption date.

• “Remaining Scheduled Payments” means, with respect to each note to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal thereof and interest thereon that would be due after the related redemption date but for such redemption, provided, however, that, if that redemption date is not an interest payment date with respect to such notes, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment thereon will be reduced by the amount of interest accrued thereon to that redemption date.

On and after any redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the notes or any portion thereof called for redemption. On or before any redemption date, the Company or the Guarantor shall deposit with a paying agent (or the Trustee) money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest on the notes to be redeemed on such date. If less than all the notes are to be redeemed, the notes to be redeemed shall be selected by the Trustee by such method as the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate. The redemption price shall be calculated by the Independent Investment Banker and either the Company or the Guarantor, and the Trustee and any paying agent for the notes shall be entitled to rely on such calculation.

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The Securities may also be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Guarantor in whole, but not in part, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice given as provided in the Indenture at any time at the Redemption Price equal to the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest to the date fixed for redemption if, as a result of any change in, execution of or amendment to the laws or any regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder of the jurisdiction (or of any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein) in which the Guarantor is incorporated (or, in the case of a successor Person to the Guarantor, of the jurisdiction in which such successor Person is organized or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein) or any change in the official application or interpretation of such laws, regulations or rulings, or any change in the official application or interpretation of, or any execution of or amendment to, any treaty or treaties affecting taxation to which such jurisdiction or such political subdivision or taxing authority (or such other jurisdiction or political subdivision or taxing authority) is a party, which change, execution or amendment becomes effective on or after September 22, 2003, (i) the Guarantor is or would be required to pay additional amounts of interest with respect to the Securities or Guarantee on the next succeeding Interest Payment Date as set forth in the Guarantee endorsed hereon (or in a supplemental indenture) or (ii) the Guarantor or any Subsidiary of the Guarantor is or would be required to deduct or withhold tax on any payment to the Company to enable the Company to make any payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest in respect of the Securities and, in each case, the payment of such additional amounts in the case of (i) above or such deduction or withholding in the case of Clause (ii) above cannot be avoided by the use of any reasonable measures available to the Company, the Guarantor or Subsidiary. Prior to the giving of notice of redemption of such Securities, the Company or the Guarantor (or such Subsidiary) will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate, stating that the Company or the Guarantor (or such Subsidiary) is entitled to effect such redemption and setting forth in reasonable detail a statement of circumstances showing that the conditions precedent to the right of the Company or the Guarantor (or such Subsidiary) to redeem such Securities have been satisfied.

The Securities may also be redeemed in whole, but not in part, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice given as provided in the Indenture at any time at a Redemption Price equal to the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest to the date fixed for redemption if a Person into which the Guarantor is merged or to whom the Guarantor conveys, transfers or leases its properties or assets substantially as an entirety has been or would be required to pay a Holder additional amounts in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge imposed on any such Holder or required to be withheld or deducted from any payment to such Holder as a consequence of such merger, conveyance, transfer or lease. Prior to the giving of notice of redemption of such Securities, such Person shall deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate, stating that such Person is entitled to effect such redemption and setting forth in reasonable detail a statement of circumstances showing that the conditions precedent to the right of such Person to redeem such Securities have been satisfied.

Notice of redemption will be given by mail to Holders of Securities, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption, all as provided in the Indenture.

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In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or Securities of this series and of like tenor for the unredeemed portion hereof will be issued in the name of the Holder hereof upon the cancellation hereof.

The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of the entire indebtedness of this Security or certain restrictive covenants and Events of Default with respect to this Security, in each case upon compliance with certain conditions set forth in the Indenture.

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of this series shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Securities of this series may be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture.

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the Guarantor and the rights of the Holders of the Securities of each series to be affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company, the Guarantor and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities at the time Outstanding of each series to be affected. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Securities of each series at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Securities of such series, to waive compliance by the Company or the Guarantor with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.

As set forth in, and subject to, the provisions of the Indenture, no Holder of any Security of this series will have the right to institute any proceeding with respect to the Indenture, the Guarantee endorsed hereon, this Security or for any remedy thereunder, unless such Holder shall have previously given the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of this series, the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Securities of this series at the time Outstanding shall have made written request, and offered reasonable indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as trustee, and the Trustee shall not have received from the Holders of a majority in principal amount of Securities of this series at the time Outstanding a direction inconsistent with such request, and shall have failed to institute any such proceeding, for 60 days after receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity. The foregoing shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Holder of this Security for the enforcement of any payment of principal hereof or any premium or interest hereon on or after the respective due dates expressed herein.

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No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and any premium and interest on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register, upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and any premium and interest on this Security are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities of this series and of like tenor, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.

The Securities of this series are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, Securities of this series are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of this series and of like tenor of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same.

No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

Prior to due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer or exchange, the Company, the Guarantor, the Trustee and any agent of the Company, the Guarantor or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Guarantor, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

The Indenture and this Security shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws.

Interest on this Security shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.

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GUARANTEE

For value received, CRH plc, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Ireland, having its principal office at Belgard Castle, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland (herein called the “Guarantor”, which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture referred to in the Security upon which this Guarantee is endorsed), hereby fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Holder of the Security upon which this Guarantee is endorsed and to the Trustee on behalf of each such Holder the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Security (including any additional amounts payable pursuant to Section 1004 of the Indenture in respect thereof) and the due and punctual payment of the sinking fund or analogous payments referred to therein, if any, when and as the same shall become due and payable (subject to any period of grace provided with respect thereto), whether at the Stated Maturity, by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, according to the terms thereof and of the Indenture referred to therein. In case of the failure of CRH America, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (herein called the “Company”, which term includes any successor Person under such Indenture), punctually to make any such payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest or any sinking fund or analogous payment, the Guarantor hereby agrees to cause any such payment to be made punctually when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, and as if such payment were made by the Company.

The Guarantor hereby further agrees, subject to the limitations and exceptions set forth below, that if any deduction or withholding for any present or future taxes, assessments or other governmental charges of the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein) in which the Guarantor is incorporated shall at any time be required by such jurisdiction (or any such political subdivision or taxing authority) in respect of any amount to be paid by the Guarantor under this Guarantee, and unless otherwise specified in any Board Resolution of the Company or Guarantor establishing the terms of a series of Securities in accordance with Section 301 of the Indenture, then the Guarantor will pay to the Holder of a Security such additional amounts of interest as may be necessary in order that the net amounts paid to a Holder of such Security who, with respect to any such tax, assessment, or other governmental charge, is not resident in such jurisdiction, after such deduction or withholding, shall be not less than the amounts specified in such Security to which such Holder is entitled; provided however, that the Guarantor shall not be required to make any payment of additional amounts (i) for or on account of any such tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by the United States or any political subdivisions or taxing authority thereof or therein or (ii) for or on account of:

(a) any tax, assessment or other governmental charge which would not have been imposed but for (i) the existence of any present or former connection between such Holder (or between a fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member or shareholder of, or possessor of a power over, such Holder, if such Holder is an estate, trust, partnership or corporation) and the taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision or

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territory or possession thereof or area subject to its jurisdiction, including, without limitation, such Holder (or such fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member, shareholder or possessor) being or having been a citizen or resident thereof or being or having been present or engaged in trade or business therein or having or having had a permanent establishment therein or (ii) the presentation of a Security (where presentation is required) for payment on a date more than 30 days after the date on which such payment became due and payable or the date on which payment thereof is duly provided for, whichever occurs later;

(b) any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;

(c) any tax, assessment, or other governmental charge which is payable otherwise than by withholding from payments of (or in respect of) principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, the Securities;

(d) any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld by reason of the failure to comply by the Holder or the beneficial owner of a Security with a request of the Company or the Guarantor addressed to the Holder (i) to provide information concerning the nationality, residence or identity of the Holder or such beneficial owner or (ii) to make any declaration or other similar claim or satisfy any information or reporting requirement, which, in the case of Clause (i) or (ii), is required or imposed by a statute, treaty, regulation or administrative practice of the taxing jurisdiction as a precondition to exemption from all or part of such tax, assessment or other governmental charge;

(e) any withholding or deduction imposed on a payment to an individual which is required to be made pursuant to any European Union Directive on the taxation of savings implementing the conclusions of ECOFIN Council meeting of November 26-27, 2000 or any law implementing or complying with, or introduced in order to conform to, such Directive;

(f) any withholding or deduction required to be made with respect to a Security presented for payment by or on behalf of a Holder of such Security who would have been able to avoid such withholding or deduction by presenting the relevant Security to another Paying Agent in a member state of the European Union; or

(g) any combination of items (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) or (f);

nor shall additional amounts be paid with respect to any payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or any interest on any Security to any Holder who is a fiduciary or partnership or other than the sole beneficial owner of such payment to the extent such payment would be required by the laws of the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein) to be included in the income for tax purposes of a beneficiary or settlor with respect to such fiduciary or a member of such partnership or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such additional amounts had it been the Holder of the Security.

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The Guarantor hereby agrees that its obligations hereunder shall be as if it were principal debtor and not merely surety, and shall be absolute, full, unconditional and irrevocable, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, shall be unaffected by, any invalidity, irregularity or unenforceability of such Security or such Indenture, any failure to enforce the provisions of such Security or such Indenture, or any waiver, modification or indulgence granted to the Company with respect thereto, by the Holder of such Security or the Trustee or any other circumstance which may otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge of a surety or guarantor; provided however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, no such waiver, modification or indulgence shall, without the consent of the Guarantor, increase the principal amount of such Security, or increase the interest rate thereon, or increase any premium payable upon redemption thereof, or alter the Stated Maturity thereof, or increase the principal amount of any Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 502 of such Indenture. The Guarantor hereby waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of a merger or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest or notice with respect to such Security or the indebtedness evidenced thereby or with respect to any sinking fund or analogous payment required under such Security and all demands whatsoever, and covenants that this Guarantee will not be discharged except by payment in full of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Security.

The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights of the Holder of such Security and the Trustee against the Company in respect of any amounts paid to such Holder by the Guarantor pursuant to the provisions of this Guarantee, provided, however, that such Guarantor shall not be entitled to enforce, or to receive any payments arising out of or based upon, such right of subrogation until the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on all Securities of the same series issued under such Indenture shall have been paid in full.

No reference herein to such Indenture and no provision of this Guarantee or of such Indenture shall alter or impair the guarantee of the Guarantor, which is absolute and unconditional, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, and any sinking fund or analogous payments with respect to, the Security upon which this Guarantee is endorsed.

This Guarantee shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication of such Security shall have been manually executed by or on behalf of the Trustee under such Indenture.

All terms used in this Guarantee which are defined in such Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in such Indenture.

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The Guarantee shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Executed and dated the date on the face hereof.

CRH plc
By:	/s/ Myles Lee
	Name:  Myles Lee
	Title:  Finance Director Designate

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