Presidential Address

Who Will Engineer Ireland’s Future? Why Ireland’s Engineering Shortage Matters – and What We Can Do About It

Engineers Ireland President Dave Murphy delivered his Presidential Address on Thursday, 15 October at 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4.

In “Who Will Engineer Ireland's Future? Why Ireland's Shortage of Engineers Matters - and What We Can Do About It”, Dave explored Ireland’s growing shortage of engineering talent, what it means for our future, and how we can inspire, attract and retain the next generation of engineers.

A timely conversation about the people and skills needed to build Ireland’s future.

The statistics shown in Dave Murphy's Presidential Address are primarily derived from a recent Engineers Ireland Report: The Value of Engineers to the Irish Economy. Read the report here.

Watch Dave Murphy's Presidential Address:

Biography

Dave Murphy was inaugurated as the 134th President of Engineers Ireland on Thursday, 4 June 2026.

A Chartered Chemical Engineer, Dave Murphy graduated with a BSc in Chemical Technology in 1985 from Cork Regional Technical College, now Munster Technological University.

He spent four years as an Assistant Production Manager at Plaistow Limited, a contract pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Cork.

Dave then joined international project delivery firm PM Group in 1989, spending 34 years with the Cork-headquartered company and working in all areas of the business including process design, project and construction management, start-up, commissioning, and qualification.

He was appointed to the Board of PM Group in 2006 and became Group CEO in 2011, leading the company’s 3,500 employees across 11 countries. He retired as PM Group’s CEO in 2023 and became Vice President of Engineers Ireland in 2024.