Building Ireland

BUILDING IRELAND is going to explore and explain how Ireland's great building and engineering achievements came to be, and their impact on the development of our towns and cities. In the company of an enthusiastic team of experts, the series marries local heritage with technology and engineering, in a popular cross-thematic format. Architectural history, geography and engineering are the disciplines brought to bear; each programme focuses on a prime example of our built heritage and recounts the story of its construction.

The technological challenge will be set in an historical and geographical context, with reference to the social-economic impact of the build. Communicating these themes with competence, excitement and accessibility is the task for the able team of presenters - Architect Orla Murphy, Engineer Tim Joyce and Geographer Dr Susan Hegarty. This is the team investigating what was done and how, where it was done and why, and who built it and when.

BUILDING IRELAND is exclusively interested in built heritage that's in the public space and noteworthy for its social, historical or physical impact. The documentaries capture the excitement of a re-discovery of Ireland's past and engage passionate contributors who share their insights with the presenting team. The series examines the wider socio-cultural impact of built heritage, on places and people in the unique historical context of the Irish experience. The team of presenters discovers the technological challenge and aesthetic considerations in construction, and explores geographical concerns in challenging terrain, both rural and urban.

Presenters:

Tim Joyce is a practicing Civil Engineer with a passionate interest in the way our predecessors got things done with limited resources and technology. He will investigate WHAT did they do and HOW did they do it?

Dr Susan Hegarty is a Physical Geographer with a fascination for the interaction of humankind with the landscape. She will explore WHERE did they do it and WHY?

Orla Murphy is an award-winning architect with an expert knowledge of civic buildings and industrial archaeology who can't stop telling people about it. She will discover WHO did it and WHEN?
(Source: RTE)