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Black and white photo of a ship
Birr Engineering Festival
Engineering Heritage Festival
Professionals  /  Communities & Groups  /  Societies  /  Heritage  /  Birr Engineering Festival
Black and white photo of a ship Birr Engineering Festival Engineering Heritage Festival
Professionals  /  Communities & Groups  /  Societies  /  Heritage  /  Birr Engineering Festival

Birr Engineering Festival

The Birr International  STEAM Festival 2025 will take place from Thursday, 16 - Saturday 19 October and will provide an opportunity for engineering heritage enthusiasts to gather at one of the most interesting scientific locations on the island of Ireland. 

Please note, signed certificates of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) will be issued to attendees for up to 12 hours of discovery and learning in Birr's science and engineering heritage centre of excellence.

Full Three Day Agenda

Opening at 7.30 pm on Thursday, 16 October, the three day event is sure to be a fabulous weekend networking, enjoying the 'Birr Castle Demesne including the acclaimed gardens and science centre.

Thursday 16 October | Commencement of Engineering Festival - The First Trans-Atlantic Cable and the Heroes Involved

Commencement of Engineering Festival - The First Trans-Atlantic Cable and the Heroes Involved

19:30    Registration - Birr Theatre

20:00    Circuits in the Sea - setting the political and technological context for the first transatlantic telegraph cable which Cyrus Field and Lord Kelvin were working within - Introduction by John Burgess

20:15    Documentary Movie, 'The cable that Changed the World'

21:45    Q&A for 15 minutes - retiring to Kellys Pub for discussion 

Friday 17 October | Tomorrow's Technology for Today - The electricity network in transition

Tomorrow's Technology for Today - The Electricity Network in Transition

09:00    Registration - Birr Theatre

09:30    Opening address - Prof. Peter Gallagher - Head of Astrophysics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

09:45    Shaping our electricity future - Timothy Hurley, Eirgrid

10:15    Electricity grid stability technologies - Seamus Howard, Siemens Energy

10:45    Long Duration Energy Storage - from hours to days - Caitríona Sheridan, FuturEnergy

11:15    Accelerating and scaling up end-use electrification in France - Aindrias Lefevre-Laoide, EDF

11:45    Q&A  

12:00    Lunch / Tours of Birr Castle Demesne & Science Centre - Birr Castle Demesne - Dr Jeremy Rigney, Data Scientist, formerly of DIAS

15:00    Chairpersons' introductions - John Burgess, Agile Development

15:15    Siemens Energy – 100 years of pioneering renewables and energy infrastructure in Ireland - Nick O'Mahony, Siemens Energy

15:45    Technology innovation to enable electrification / decarbonisation - John Fitzgerald, Supernode

16:15    Renewable energy technologies and their future in Ireland - Tina Raleigh, Statkraft    

16:45    Q&A

17:15    Careers fair - opportunities within the STEAM fields - John's Hall, Birr

19:30    Networking dinner - Dooly's Hotel, Birr

Saturday 18 October | Yesterday's Engineers and Scientists and the impact they made

Yesterday's Engineers and Scientists and the impact they made

09:30    Registration and book signing by Jackie Uí Chíonna 

10:00    Opening address - Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of The Heritage Council 

10:15    The importance of Valentia & Knightstown to the world - Peter Cox, Carrig Conservation

10:45    Queen of Codes: The secret life of Emily Anderson, the Irishwoman who was Britain's greatest female codebreaker, and a world class musicologist - Dr. Jackie Uí Chionna, University of Galway      

11:15    Origin, present-day nature and future of genetic decoding - Professor John F. Atkins, University College Cork      

11:45    Q&A

12:00    Lunch / Tours of Birr Castle Demesne & Science Centre - Dr Jeremy Rigney, Data Scientist, formerly of DIAS

15:00    Chairpersons' introductions -  Dr Jeremy Rigney, Data Scientist, formerly of DIAS

15:15    Victorian telescope makers - the Grubb family and the Grubb Parsons Telescope Company - Dr. Ian Glass, Author of Victorian Telescope Makers      

15:45    John Holland, submarines and influence on the Grubb telescope company - John Burgess, Agile Development           

16:10    Grubb Parsons and the Sinden Optical Company - David Hughes, Show Host at Radio Northumberland

16:45    Q&A 

17:15    Exhibition of reading materials from the Archives - John's Hall, Birr

19:30    Networking dinner - Dooly's Hotel, Birr

Summary of Presentations

Discover the exciting range of presentations that will take place during the 2025 Birr Engineering Festival.

Summary of Presentations Discover the exciting range of presentations that will take place during the 2025 Birr Engineering Festival. white

Seamus Howard - Electricity grid stability technologies | Friday 17th October

As Ireland advances toward its 2030 target of 95% System Non-Synchronous Penetration (SNSP), the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar presents new challenges for grid stability—particularly around system inertia, short-circuit power, and reactive power support. Synchronous condensers are a key solution to these challenges, providing essential services such as rotational inertia for frequency stabilisation, reactive power for voltage control, and short-circuit power.

This presentation will provide an explanation of synchronous condensers and their vital contributions to maintaining a secure and resilient electricity grid.

Dr. Caitríona Sheridan - Long Duration Energy Storage - from hours to days | Friday 17th October

As Ireland accelerates its transition to a decarbonised electricity system, Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) is emerging as a critical enabler of resilience, flexibility, and affordability. Moving beyond short-duration solutions, LDES technologies, capable of storing energy for up to 100 hours, offer the ability to time-shift bulk renewable energy from periods of surplus to times of peak demand or low generation. It can also contribute to providing 24/7 carbon free energy and capturing otherwise lost energy. FuturEnergy Ireland are working with Form Energy to bring their Iron Air solution to the Irish system. 

The presentation will cover the technology and state of play of LDES in Ireland. 

Nick O’Mahony - Siemens Energy – 100 years of pioneering renewable and energy infrastructure in Ireland | Friday 17th October

Siemens Energy celebrates 100 years of work in Ireland in August 2025. Their first project was the design and construction of Ardnacrusha, the largest infrastructure project in Ireland up to that time. Nick will share the story of Ardnacrusha with us, inform us on some of the initiatives Siemens Energy are currently undertaking, and then highlight some of the challenges Ireland faces in transitioning the electricity grid away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy technologies.

Siemens Energy has a long historical association with Birr through the founding of the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine company by Sir Charles Parsons in 1894 at the Heaton Works in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. The CA Parsons site is now owned by Siemens Energy, where they continue to design and manufacture major electrical equipment for the electricity grid networks of Europe.

John Fitzgerald – Technology innovation to enable electrification / decarbonisation | Friday 17th October

In setting the context for national electricity grid organisations dealing with the regulation of monopolies and the introduction of competition, John will explore the challenges for innovative companies in a slow-moving industry where large capital investments are needed to support strategic development. This all against the backdrop of exponential growth in the electricity market which is also undergoing a transition away from centralised fossil fuel plant to distributed renewable energy generation.

 John will outline some of the new technologies under consideration for a trans-European network and single electricity market SEM. The recent power outage on the Iberian Peninsula shows how important grid security and resilience is to our everyday lives. Supernode are developing superconducting cables that could form the backbone of the future SEM.

John will also take a moment to remember Eddie O’Connor (RIP 6th January 2024), founder of SuperNode and author of the book titled ‘Supergrid Super Solution: The key to solving the energy crisis and decarbonising Europe’.

Dr Ian Stewart Glass - Telescope makers Thomas and Howard Grubb and their successors Grubb Parsons | Saturday 18th October

Dr Glass is the author of Victorian Telescope Makers, the book that traces the history of Thomas and Howard Grubb, two of the most successful scientific instrument makers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He will recount the lives and achievements of these two men and their business in Rathmines, Dublin.

Following the first World War, the company came under the control of Sir Charles Parsons, the youngest son of the telescope-making Third Earl of Rosse, famous himself as the developer of the steam turbine.

The resultant Grubb Parsons Company was moved to Newcastle, where, until 1985, it manufactured many of the largest and most successful telescopes of the twentieth century.

This talk will outline some of both companies’ innovations and achievements in the field of telescope manufacture, which unites extreme precision with massive machinery.
 

John F. Atkins - Origin, present day nature and future of genetic decoding | Saturday 18th October

Proteins perform crucial roles in all living cells, including mediating nearly all the catalysis needed to generate essential products. Their elaborate structure to accomplish these roles precludes self-replication. Instead, new proteins are synthesised with the order of their constituent amino acids (building blocks) being specified by DNA (and in many viruses, directly by RNA). The information in segments of DNA is transcribed into mRNA from which its readout involves sequential non-overlapping reading of ‘3-letter genetic words’. The standard way this process occurs will be described along with the unexpected versatility in the decoding of a minority of genes in probably all organisms. The versatility can involve context-dependent alternative genetic ‘word’ meaning. Signals in mRNA can allow synthesis of a protein from overlapping reading frames. How the complicated machinery involved in the information readout could have originated, and the potential for its future beneficial alteration will be discussed.  

John Burgess - John Holland, submarines and influence on the Grubb telescope company | Saturday 18th October

John Holland, who most likely never met the famous Grubb scientific instrument makers, played an indirect but influential role in the relocation of the Grubb Telescope Company to St. Albans, London. John Burgess will provide a recap of the amazing career of Ireland’s renowned submarine designer, his education by some far-sighted and inspirational scientists in the Christian Brothers in Limerick and Cork, and how his submarine designs were finally adopted by the admiralty of the British Royal Navy. An awe-inspiring scientist who hailed from Liscannor, Co. Clare.

Peter Cox - The importance of Valentia | Saturday 18th October

Following the showing of the documentary movie ‘The cable that changed the world’ on Thursday evening, 16th October, which also appeared on RTE on 12th August 2024*, Peter Cox will provide an oversight of the Cable Station (located in Knightstown), the Slate Yard (where the first trans-Atlantic message was broadcast from) and the Valentia Island Slate Mine.

The small village on the northern tip of Valentia Island underwent a major boom in the late 1800’s as a result of technological advancement in communications between Europe and America. The influx of people with the specialist decoding skills from across Europe to Ireland’s first ‘Call-Centre’ in Knightstown 150 years ago is reflected in the Ireland of today in cities like Cork, which also has a diversity of peoples from all over the world working in the electronics and data management industries. Peter’s stories will shine a light on the challenges of the day, the transformative impact of becoming a major technology hub in the 1800’s and what is being done now to protect this amazing part of Ireland’s industrial heritage.

Peter will provide an update on the status of the Trans-Atlantic Cable Project’s application for UNESCO Industrial World Heritage Status.

Speaker Biographies

Read about those involved in speaking at the festival.

Speaker Biographies Read about those involved in speaking at the festival. white

Timothy Hurley, Eirgrid: Shaping our electricity future

17 October, Birr Theatre at 9:45 am

Timothy Hurley is a transmission network planning manager in EirGrid where he is responsible for identifying transmission system needs and progressing grid reinforcements to address those needs. 

He has worked for over 20 years across a variety of roles with EirGrid. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electronic and electrical engineering from University College Dublin (UCD) and master’s degrees in electrical power systems engineering from UCD and University of Manchester.

Seamus Howard, Siemens Energy: Electricity grid stability technologies

17 October, Birr Theatre at 10:15 am

Seamus leads Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) sales at Siemens Energy Ireland having joined them in 2021. Seamus has worked with leading edge companies in Ireland both during his electrical trade apprenticeship 2003 -2008 and following graduation in 2010 from Shannon Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Renewable and Electrical Energy Systems. 

During his time as Operations Engineer for 7 years at General Electric in Galway, Seamus completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation Engineering at the Atlantic Technological University in Sligo.

Seamus previously worked with Kirby Group, leading the department responsible for developing substations across Europe and also spent time working for Johnson & Johnson Vision in Limerick, the largest contact lens manufacturing facility in the world.

As part of the Siemens Energy Ireland management team, he collaborates with other Business Unit leaders in the UK, Ireland and Germany to develop projects contributing towards Ireland’s Net Zero goals.

Caitríona Sheridan, FuturEnergy: Long duration energy storage - from hours to days

17 October, Birr Theatre at 10:45am

Caitríona Sheridan is Head of Strategy and Innovation at FuturEnergy Ireland where her work focuses on initiatives to accelerate the delivery of onshore wind, with enabling solutions, to make significant contributions to Ireland's renewable energy targets. 

She has over a decade of experience in the power systems and renewable energy sector, and has held roles in consultancy, operations, network planning, and development. Caitríona is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UCC, and a Doctorate from Imperial College London specialising in HVDC technologies for offshore application.

 

Aindrias Lefevre-Laoide, EDF: Accelerating and scaling up end-use electrification in France

17 October, Birr Theatre at 11:15 am

A person wearing glasses and a suitAI-generated content may be incorrect.Aindrias Lefévère-Laoide is a Climate Policies Officer at EDF Group, France, specializing in energy and climate policy with a particular focus on carbon markets. 

He is an engineer by training, with expertise in carbon accounting and climate risk analysis within large corporate environments.

Aindrias holds Master degrees from the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), as well as an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs.

 

Nick O'Mahony, Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy – 100 years of pioneering renewable and energy infrastructure in Ireland

17 October, Birr Theatre at 3:15 pm

Nick O'Mahony, Managing Director, leads a team of over 100 employees serving the Utility, Datacentre and Renewable Energy markets. Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. Nick and his team have executed key projects in Ireland, such as the Celtic and Greenlink HVDC Interconnectors to France and the UK, Hydrogen ready Gas Turbines for key Utility customers, and Grid Stabilisers that allow more renewables to be connected to the Grid. Nick is currently focussed on solutions and supply chain for the Offshore Wind, Transmission Grid and Datacentre markets. Prior to joining Siemens 20 years ago Nick worked in various engineering and management roles in Belgium, France and the US.

 

John Fitzgerald, Supernode: Technology innovation to enable electrification / decarbonisation

17 October, Birr Theartre at 3:45 pm

John Fitzgerald is CEO of SuperNode Ltd, the Irish cutting-edge technology company specialising in next-generation superconducting cable systems. John has extensive experience of power systems and grid infrastructure. He was the Director of Grid Development & Interconnection with EirGrid, the Irish TSO, with responsibility for all onshore transmission and the development and operation of Interconnection. Prior to this, John was Project Director of the East West Interconnector, directly connecting the electricity markets of Ireland and Britain for the first time in 2012 with, what was then, the largest HVDC scheme of its kind in the World.

Before joining EirGrid, John was involved in the area of business development for ESB International where he held a number of business development management positions in Europe and Asia. John has been involved in the successful development of major energy infrastructure projects and corporate initiatives in the electricity and gas sectors across Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe. A graduate of University College Dublin, he is a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering and holds an MBA from the UCD School of Business.

Tina Raleigh, Statkraft: Renewable energy technologies and their future in Ireland

17 October, Birr Theatre at 4:15 pm 

Tina Raleigh, Head of Offshore, Statkraft Ireland, is an experienced renewable energy expert with over 25 years’ experience in the sector. In her various roles, she has amassed a wide and varied expertise in all aspects of environmental, infrastructural and energy projects, from inception, planning through to detailed project design and construction. She has advised on the development of over 1,000MW of onshore wind and solar projects. As Head of Offshore, she oversees the development of Statkraft’s Irish offshore wind portfolio – supporting Ireland to reach its target of having 5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030.  Tina is a Chartered Engineer with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University College Cork.

David Hughes, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society: Grubb Parsons and the Sinden Optical Company

18 October, Birr Theatre at 16:10 pm

David has been afflicted with the astronomy bug for nearly fifty years. Upon leaving school, he was apprenticed to the former workshop manager, David Sinden, at the Howard Grubb Parsons Telescope Company in Newcastle, where he acquired a love of big telescopes and very strong tea. David has lectured extensively on the history of astronomy and space exploration in the Northeast of England. He is also the host of Radio Northumberland’s ‘The Great Geordie Space Race’.

 

 

Dr. Ian Stewart Glass, James Cook University: Victorian telescope makers

18 October, Birr Theatre at 15:15 pm

Education: 
Undergraduate: B.A. (Hons) 1st Class (Natural Sciences), Trinity College,
Dublin. Foundation Scholar, Hackett Prize 
Graduate: M.S., Ph.D. (Physics), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Career
Research, Post-Doctoral Fellow MIT 1968-1969
1963 Internship Goddard Space Flight Centre
Post-Doctoral Fellow Caltech 1970
Royal Greenwich Observatory 1970-1975
•    Senior Research Fellow
•    Senior Scientific Officer
•    Principal Scientific Officer
South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) 1975-2005
•    Senior Research Officer
•    Chief Research Officer
•    Senior Chief Research Officer
•    After compulsory retirement 2000-2005 “Senior Research Fellow”
•    Currently “Associate Research Astronomer”
Adjunct Professor, James Cook University, Australia (since 2010)

Visiting positions:
Visitor at RO Cape/SAAO from RGO, Oct 1971-Sept 1974
Associate, European Southern Observatory, Munich, Germany 1980-81
University of Arizona, USA 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Institut d'Astrophysique, Paris, France
Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Visiting Professor National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
 

Research output
Author or co-author of about 224 astrophysical research papers in
journals and conference proceedings, mainly in infrared astronomy. 
Google Scholar (2025) gives total citations 11000 and H-index 59
History of astronomy ca 25 papers

Books
Victorian Telescope Makers: The Lives and Letters of Thomas and Howard
Grubb, IOP. Bristol and Philadelphia, 1997
Handbook of Infrared Astronomy, CUP, Cambridge, 1999
Revolutionaries of the Cosmos: The Astro-physicists, OUP, Oxford, 2006
Proxima, the Nearest Star (Other than the Sun), Mons Mensa, 2008
Nicolas-Louis de la Caille, Astronomer and Geodesist, OUP, Oxford, 2012
The Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, Mons Mensa, 2015

Current Interests: 
Astronomical Museum and Archives, SAAO
Astronomical History
Memberships: International Astronomical Union, Royal Society of South Africa, Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (Hon Memb, former President, Gill Medallist, McIntyre Award), Probus (Groote Schuur), Owl Club, MG Club & U3A.
Editorial Boards, MNASSA & Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage
 

Dr. Jackie Uí Chionna, University of Galway: Queen of Codes - The Secret Life of Emily Anderson

18 October, Birr Theatre at 10:45 am

Dr. Jackie Uí Chionna teaches History at the University of Galway. She has combined a career in heritage management with academia and academic research. A graduate of UCD in History and English, she holds a PhD in History(NUIG), an MA in Heritage Management(Hons I) from UCC, and a Higher Diploma in Education (Hons I) from Trinity College Dublin. Her specialism is in modern Irish history, and she has a particular interest in the social and cultural history of the revolutionary period, 1912-1922, and the emergence of the independent Irish state. Her other research interests include oral history, the history of Irish family businesses, and the history of education.


Dr. Uí Chionna is currently an Associate Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Studies, at the University of London.
Her recent research is more global in nature, and relates to the history of intelligence, specifically cryptography and the breaking of codes for the purposes of wartime intelligence gathering. She was awarded an Archives By-Fellowship at Churchill College Cambridge in 2019 where she undertook research on the history of codebreaking during the First and Second World Wars. Her biography of Emily Anderson OBE, entitled Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker (Headline UK), was published in April 2023.The book was shortlisted for the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography in 2024. She was recently awarded the Byrne-Bussey Marconi Fellowship in the History of Science, Technology and Communication at the Bodleian Library Oxford, to progress her research on the women codebreakers recruited from Oxbridge all-women colleges during the First and Second World Wars.


Jackie is an experienced oral historian, and has used oral history extensively in her research. A fluent Irish speaker, she has taught history courses through the medium of Irish and has incorporated Irish language sources extensively in her publications and conference presentations.
Dr. Uí Chionna is the Editor of the Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, in which capacity she has produced nine Volumes of the Journal (2016-2024). An accomplished media performer, she has contributed to numerous TV and Radio documentaries in Ireland and the UK, in both Irish and English.

John F. Atkins, University College Cork: Origin, present day nature and future of genetic decoding

18 October, Birr Theatre at 11:15 am

John Fuller Atkins is a research professor at University College Cork, and an honorary Professor of Genetics in his alma mater, Trinity College Dublin.

John has been full-time engaged in research since 1965, apart from 4 years in the 1980s when he also lectured in Biochemistry in UCC, and in 2002-2003 when he was first Director of Life Sciences and Biotechnology in the then newly formed Science Foundation Ireland. Half of his research was performed in the US, and a small component in a major international company. John is the first Irish national to be elected as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation.


In 2007, John received the first gold medal for Life Sciences from the Royal Irish Academy of which he is a member.


He has co-edited all 5 editions of the RNA Worlds books that include 25 chapters by Nobel laureates (or who subsequently received that prize). John’s primary research publications are listed (many fully viewable) on  ‘pubmed’ (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) by entering  ‘Atkins JF’ (only two of the publications listed are not his).  


Charles Jencks, was commissioned by Professors John Atkins (UCC) and David McConnell (TCD) for creation of a sculpture representing DNA and RNA. This sculpture is in the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. Its opening ceremony was on the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA in April 1953. Its RNA representative components have several novel features – perhaps fittingly given the unexpected diversity of types of RNA discovered in the relatively recent past and their importance. 

John Burgess, Agile Development: John Holland, submarines and influence on the Grubb telescope company

18 October, Birr Theatre at 15:45 am

John has 40 years’ experience in the design and operation of the built environment in Australia and Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and the Charterer Institute of Building Services Engineers. John is also a Chartered Energy Manager through the Energy Institute. 

John is a member of the Cork Astronomy Club, ICOMOS and the Irish Heritage Council. John is particularly interested in promoting and preserving Ireland's rich engineering and scientific heritage. The annual Birr STEAM Festival is an initiative that supports the work of the Parsons Family and the Birr Castle Demesne.

Peter Cox, Carrig Conservation International: The importance of Valentia

187 October, Birr Theatre at 10:15 am

Education:
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Aston University, Birmingham
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London

Professional Memberships:
ICOMOS International – Past President of International Scientific Committee on Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change (2013-2020)
ICOMOS Ireland – Past President of National Scientific Committee on Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change which published on the ‘Effects of Climate Change on World Heritage Sites’
Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance Climate Heritage Network & ZNCC (Zero Net Carbon Collaborative)


Background:
As founding member of Carrig Conservation, Peter Cox has gained over thirty-five years’ experience of stone conservation in historic structures and in the analysis of all porous building materials. With a primary degree in chemical engineering and masters in material science, he is an authority on the analysis of masonry decay and on treating stone and mortar in historic structures. As an active member of ICOMOS, and as ICOMOS Ireland President from 2003-2006, Peter sits on a number of international committees, working with Governments to improve legislation and policies on conservation, and in particular on energy efficiency in our heritage & traditional building stock.


Peter represented ICOMOS International on the CEN (Central European Standards Committee) Expert Technical Committee that produced European standard, EN 16883:2017 ‘Conservation of Cultural Heritage – Guidelines’ for improving the energy performance of historic buildings. He has authored ‘Retrofitting Heritage Buildings’ as part of RIBA’s ‘Sustainable Building Conservation: Theory and Practice of Responsive Design in the Heritage Environment’, published in 2015. Peter is an active member of the Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance (STBA).


As guest and visiting lecturer to universities nationally and throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, Peter has also completed lecture tours of China, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South and North America lecturing on ‘Material Conservation of 20th Century Buildings; the ‘Energy Efficiency of Heritage & Traditional Buildings’ and on the effects of ‘Climate Change on our World Heritage Sites’.


Carrig has published many reports, including: Gap Analysis in Skills & Training for the Retrofit of Traditional Buildings; Guidelines in the Energy Retrofit of Traditional Buildings; Understanding Carbon in the built environment; Climate Change Adaptation Sectoral Plan for Archaeological & Built Heritage among others.

Accommodation

Accommodation will be available at the following locations on a first come, first served basis. Please quote the code BirrEngineeringFestival when booking for preferential rates.

Please book early when planning your trip to avoid travelling from other towns in the region for each day.

Should people wish to camp, please contact Alicia Clements at alicia@birrtrust.ie.

  • Dooly’s Hotel

Tel.: +353 57 9120032

Email: reservations@doolyshotel.com

  • County Arms Hotel

Tel.: +353 57 9120791

Email: michelledigan@countyarmshotel.com

  • Townsend House

Tel.: +353 57 9121276

Email: townsendhouseguesthouse@gmail.com

  • The Stables

Tel.: +057 912 0263

Email: caroline@thestablesbirr.com

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Acknowledgement

The organisers would like to thank the people of Birr, the Birr Castle Demesne, the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, Engineers Ireland, Eirgrid and the Arup Charitable Trust of Ireland for their support for this event. Such was the level of positive feedback received, this event will be repeated at a similar time in coming years.

2024 Birr Engineering Festival Photo Gallery

2024 Birr Engineering Festival Photo Gallery white













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Summaries of 2024 Presentations

Discover the various presentations that took place in the 2024 Birr Engineering Festival, and watch their recordings below.

Summaries of 2024 Presentations Discover the various presentations that took place in the 2024 Birr Engineering Festival, and watch their recordings below. white

John Burgess - The Parsons families of the 19th Century

Taking place: Friday 18 October at 8.15 pm

Providing an overview of the Parsons families of the 2nd and 3rd Earls of Rosse in the context of local, national and European history, this presentation will shed light on scientific and engineering progress made in Birr in the 19th Century. The contributions of the Parsons family to technological developments during the industrial revolution continue to make an impact on our lives today. It is a phenomenal story.

Geoff Horseman - Evolution of the land steam turbine

Taking place on Saturday 19 October at 10.00 am

This talk will describe how the turbines produced for power station use changed from the World’s first steam turbine-generator of 1884 through the pioneering designs which superseded the reciprocating steam engine in electricity generation, the rapid growth in machine sizes from 50 MW to 800 MW and subsequent generations of turbine until CA Parsons & Co Ltd became part of Siemens in 1997. 

The keynote designs will be discussed including the machines for Calder Hall (the World’s first commercial nuclear power station), Drax (Britain’s largest power station), and Nanticoke (the largest coal-fired power station in North America).

Ian Whitehead - Turbinia: Turbine testbed to heritage flagship

Taking place on Saturday 19 October at 2:30 pm

A biography of Turbinia from Charles Parsons' early designs and experiments with models in 1894, to Turbinia’s current position as a prized exhibit displayed in the entrance hall to Newcastle upon Tyne’s Discovery Museum and one of the most important vessels on the National Historic Ships UK register. 

Jody Power - Marine propulsion steam turbines: A personal journey

Taking place on Saturday 19 October at 3.15 pm 

The development of steam turbines as an alternative to steam driven reciprocating engines was to have a major impact on the propulsion of sea-going vessels in the 20th Century. 

Councillor Jody Power will give a first-hand account of his experience of marine propulsion steam turbines and will provide an assessment of the impact of Charles A Parsons on the shipping industry.

Benita Stoney - The Stoney family

Taking place on Sunday 20 October at 9.15 am 

The Stoney family, also hailing from the midlands of Ireland, have made many significant contributions to Ireland’s scientific and engineering heritage. One branch of the family, who lived in Oakley Park near Birr, collaborated with the Parsons families of the 3rd and 4th Earls of Rosse in astronomical and turbine developments. 

But there is more to tell about these exploits and those of other members of the Stoney family. Benita will touch on some of these people and their achievements, framing a future discussion on another Irish family’s amazing contributions to national and global welfare.

Una O’Grady - New technologies for renewable energy

Taking place on Sunday 20 October at 09.45 am 

At present, Offaly has 650MW of operational or permitted renewable energy projects. A ‘pipeline’ of additional projects could increase this to over 1.5GW, noting that the 2022 grid generation capacity was circa 7.5 GW. These projects include onshore wind, solar PV, hydrogen electrolysers, anaerobic digestion, energy storage, synchronous compensators (inertia flywheels), and grid resilience systems. 

This presentation covers some key renewable energy projects in the Midlands region and the contribution they can make to help achieve Ireland's renewable energy targets as set out in the latest Climate Action Plan.

Stephen Grant - The use of renewable energy technologies in the decarbonisation of heat

Taking place on Sunday 20 October at 10.15 am 

As we face into the ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets set by EU policy, the removal of fossil fuels from the heat generation market remains one of our most difficult challenges. Grant Engineering is making significant contributions to this effort and has developed solutions with patented technological innovations that are being designed and manufactured in their HQ in Birr. 

Stephen will discuss the decarbonisation of heat and present solutions that can help us achieve the ambitious zero-carbon 2050 targets.  

Geoff Horseman - The engines of the first giant turbine passenger liners

Saturday 19 October at 3.00pm

Starting in 1902, Cunard and subsequently the White Star Line proposed to build a family of giant passenger liners using turbine propulsion which would be larger than previous ships, more opulent than any built to date with more powerful engines than ever contemplated before so they could cross the Atlantic at high speed. 

In this talk, Geoff Horseman will provide an insight into the engines of these magnificent ships including the story of their development and show a little of the life-style which could be enjoyed by the first, second and third class passengers.

Recorded presentations from 2024 event

Below you will find recorded talks from the 2024 event.

Recorded presentations from 2024 event Below you will find recorded talks from the 2024 event. white

Engines of the First Turbine Passenger Liners

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Engines of the First Turbine Passenger Liners

Thursday 12 December 2024

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