Why Is Ireland So Bad at Building Big?
11 December - 22 mins
Podcast Series
Newstalk Daily
Ireland doesn’t lack ambition. But from the National Children’s Hospital to Metrolink to housing targets nobody seems able to hit, our record on major projects has drifted into farce. We plan big, talk big, promise big… and then somehow spend years in planning, appeals, disputes, overruns, and political hesitation.
It wasn’t always like this. Ireland once built boldly. Ardnacrusha powered the country. The Luas, announced on this day 30 years ago, transformed Dublin. Temple Bar was regenerated with imagination and speed. Across Europe, countries our size continue to build metros, housing and civic spaces at a pace that makes us look frozen in place.
So, what happened? And more importantly...
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