#OnTheTV – Building Ireland, the first of a new television series starts tonight on RTE 1 (7pm) which explores and explains how Ireland's great building and engineering achievements came to be, and their impact on the development of our towns and cities.

In the second episode, (next week on 15 July), a look at 'The Banking Halls of Dame Street', engineer Tim Joyce is setting out to discover how an odd, metal structure on Sir John Rogerson's Quay, played a crucial role in building the foundations of modern Dublin 140 years ago the docklands were in need of a radical overhaul, just to keep up trade demands of the British Empire.

An Irish engineer from Clareen, Co Offaly - Bindon Blood Stoney – was pioneering new methods in port construction. But the finest Victorian engineers of the day said his proposed plans for Dublin port just wouldn't work.

Would Blood Stoney's new innovation of a diving bell and shear crane work?

For a sneak preview CLICK HERE, of the series which is also to be presented by architect, Orla Murphy and geographer Susan Hegarty.