The need to invent new technologies is as old as humanity itself. The labours and achievements of the following engineers have made enormous impacts on society and the world we live in today. Join me as I explore the some of the 20 greatest engineers. [Editor's note - this is author's personal selection and doesn't represent the view of Engineers Ireland. There's no sign of Lillian Gilbreth, William Dargan or Ada Lovelace here, for a start!] Archimedes First and foremost the great ...

[caption id="attachment_39068" align="alignright" width="300"] CLICK TO ENLARGE The breakwater erected by the Piers and Roads Commission at Clais na nUan in 1886 and subsequently raised above high water by Col. Fraser in 1887. Photo NPW[/caption] Since 1800, more than 320 separate piers and quays have been erected on the 850 kilometres of sea coast from Black Head in Co Clare to Killary Harbour in Co Galway, including the islands. Most of them are small, artisanal structures, but some are ...

[caption id="attachment_38980" align="alignright" width="300"] Bridge Tavern, Wicklow town, where Robert Halpin was born in 1836 (Photo: Patrick Comerford, 2016)[/caption] In 1847, a young boy, not yet a teenager, stepped aboard a ship anchored off Wicklow town and began an adventure worthy of a Boy’s Own story. Nineteen years later, the young man, now a first officer on the biggest ship in the world, was performing a daring rescue of a fellow crewmember in the middle of one of the most ...

[caption id="attachment_38828" align="alignright" width="211"] CLICK TO ENLARGE Turbine installation[/caption] In the early 1900s, the reality for most Irish people was a life of drudgery with no access to electricity. While electricity had been in place in Ireland since the end of the 19th century, it was provided by small, independent companies and some local authorities that provided limited public lighting and electricity for tram services. Domestic and industrial chores were ...

Many people remember the late Arthur Gibney (1931-2006) as architect of the Irish Management Institute building in Sandyford, which won the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland triennial gold medal in 1974 and – with Sam Stephenson – of the ESB buildings in Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin. Others know him as the artist of very beautiful paintings. Some of his best are of Italian buildings, the Salute in Venice being one of his favourite subjects. Few know him as an architectural ...

Engineers Ireland president Dr Kieran Feighan gave his presidential address in the organisation's headquarters in 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 on Thursday, 21 September. Here we provide a transcript of his speech. Read the second of this two-part series here. I will examine how harnessing energy to improve mobility has been the foundation for the development of many of the great empires in the world over the course of history. Mobility has a number of different facets. ...