Pioneering engineering projects

[fiannafailure]

Thanks for the link reknaw, but you see that article is written from the american viewpoint, and there was an impact in Ireland, there just does not seem to be a written account of the Irish experience, I know that the captain of the Great Eastern was Irish and my received history was that, at that time the Irish were a nation of ignorant potato farmers. While there in fact was a great many of our population in engaged in serious engineering work, many of the staff at the three Irish stations were Irish.

Also at that time there were many Irish people doing pioneering work in subjects from astronomy to theoretical physics.

I was very disappointed to find that there was no effort put into preserving any of the equipment or heritage of these stations when they were de commisioned in the sixties.

There just seems to be a lack of official appreciation of the achievments of our forebears and I wonder is that because for most of the 20th century there was very little regard of technical education in Ireland.

[wombat]

There just seems to be a lack of official appreciation of the achievments of our forebearss and I wonder is that because for most of the 20th century there was very little regard of technical education in Ireland.

Most historians are interested in political and social issues. By their inclination and education they are not interested in Industrial or technical developments. Has Hamilton been on a postage stamp?

[alonso]

i find it remarkable that we are so willing to celebrate our legacies of colonialism, failed or compromised revolutions, lazy gombeenism, the victim mentaility, the political and cultural backwardness etc etc yet pretty much ignore the role Ireland and Irish people have played in engineering and science over the centuries. Which role will get us out of the current mess - the béal bocht or the entrepreneur?

Which is why, on the thread about the Poolbeg chimneys, I suggested that should they be retained they should form the centrepiece of a museum of Irish industry and enterprise. It's a lot more difficult and may take some imagination and work to do this and it's a lot easier to kick back and play up the poor oul isolated backwater image, but it's things like this that make it worthwhile....

What else have we achieved in medicine, science, engineering?

I mean Ireland conquered the modern music sphere in 1987 and we have fairly consistently competed in a number of sports and in literature. All of these are celebrated (with the obligatory dose of begrudgery notwithstanding) but is today, more than ever, the right time to celebrate our entrepreneurial and innovative past which may shine a light on how the future may be achieved?

I think, and this is just my own opinion, that the next great thing this country can do, this island can do, is to set a goal of energy independence. Set the goal. Put the policy, societal and cultural 'infrastructure' in place now. And devise the grand plan. A land surrounded by tides and wind harnessing them throwing off the shackles of its failed 20th century and leading the world.

Yes it's totally aspirational and wide eyed but so every single great achievement was born.

[heckler]

I believe Ireland has somewhat less than it's fair share of innovators, probably for the reasons listed above by alonso, perhaps there are more.

We seem to be generally good at clocking in, cranking widgets and then clocking out. Or at least we were up until we all got ahead of ourselves in recent years.

Indeed if we want to get out of this quagmire we're in we could do with locating our dormant innovation genes, fast!

[reknaw]

Thanks for the link reknaw, but you see that article is written from the american viewpoint, and there was an impact in Ireland, there just does not seem to be a written account of the Irish experience, I know that the captain of the Great Eastern was Irish and my received history was that, at that time the Irish were a nation of ignorant potato farmers. While there in fact was a great many of our population in engaged in serious engineering work, many of the staff at the three Irish stations were Irish.

Also at that time there were many Irish people doing pioneering work in subjects from astronomy to theoretical physics.

Oh, yes, I am well aware of that. One example that immediately springs to mind is Nicholas Callan in Maynooth.

Unfortunately, then as now, if they excelled in some or other field of science or the arts, they were quickly co-opted to the status of British, and if they just opposed the colonial masters or threw bombs or something like that, they were definitely Irish.

Even today, we have people only too happy to accept comic opera titles from that ridiculous cow who heads possibly the most dysfunctional family on the planet (Sir Bob, Sir Tony) and the Boner probably comes off in his panties dreaming of the day he gets a peerage from that same lot.

[fiannafailure]

i find it remarkable that we are so willing to celebrate our legacies of colonialism, failed or compromised revolutions, lazy gombeenism, the victim mentaility, the political and cultural backwardness etc etc yet pretty much ignore the role Ireland and Irish people have played in engineering and science over the centuries. Which role will get us out of the current mess - the béal bocht or the entrepreneur?

Which is why, on the thread about the Poolbeg chimneys, I suggested that should they be retained they should form the centrepiece of a museum of Irish industry and enterprise. It's a lot more difficult and may take some imagination and work to do this and it's a lot easier to kick back and play up the poor oul isolated backwater image, but it's things like this that make it worthwhile....

What else have we achieved in medicine, science, engineering?

I mean Ireland conquered the modern music sphere in 1987 and we have fairly consistently competed in a number of sports and in literature. All of these are celebrated (with the obligatory dose of begrudgery notwithstanding) but is today, more than ever, the right time to celebrate our entrepreneurial and innovative past which may shine a light on how the future may be achieved?

I think, and this is just my own opinion, that the next great thing this country can do, this island can do, is to set a goal of energy independence. Set the goal. Put the policy, societal and cultural 'infrastructure' in place now. And devise the grand plan. A land surrounded by tides and wind harnessing them throwing off the shackles of its failed 20th century and leading the world.

Yes it's totally aspirational and wide eyed but so every single great achievement was born.

Yes it's totally aspirational and wide eyed but so every single great achievement was born.

If the target is not set high enough we tend to achieve very little

[fiannafailure]

Alonso I neglected to mention that you have my full support on the pigeon house idea, what needs to be done

[fiannafailure]

Alonso, I have a hazy memory of the Shannon hydro scheme being nominated as a wonder of the 20th century or somesuch proposal around the turn of the century and at the time there was a page on the ESB website about this, but now seems to have disappeared, any info

[rightsofman]

Not sure if its totally relevant to the thread but I always thought the story of "The Fenian Ram" was interesting and a testament to Irish engineering ingenuity. It's more of an Irish-American achievement though, rather than solely Irish.

It was arguably the first "modern" submarine, with variable buoyancy, self-propelled, and armed.

Holland Submarine Exhibit, Fenian Ram and Submarine #1, Paterson Museum NJ
Historic Naval Ships Visitors Guide - Fenian Ram

[Nem]

Most historians are interested in political and social issues. By their inclination and education they are not interested in Industrial or technical developments.

There quite a few people working in this field. There is an interesting book with some wonderful illustrations here:

Ronald C. Cox (Ed.), Engineering Ireland (London, 2006)



There is also the Industrial Heritage Association Ireland: IHAI | The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland

And recently on the BBC's Coast programme the construction of the railway between Bray and Greystones by Brunel was featured.

Plenty to be proud of IMHO.