With fewer of us out and about our fair isle, we might be missing the things we took for granted. One of those things is undoubtedly Ireland's incredible architecture, but as Building Ireland returns for its third season, we have a chance to get to know the beautiful buildings dotting the country.
The newest season kicked off with the building of Dublin Airport's first terminal, as architect Orla Murphy explores this gem of modernist architecture and learned about its former ballroom and cocktail receptions.
This week, however, we're heading to Valentia Island in Co. Kerry to explore the incredible history and engineering significance of the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable.
In this episode, Orla will be accompanied by engineer Tim Joyce, who investigates how the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable transformed the island into a telecommunications hub with an impact compared to the advent of the internet.
The giant cable was dubbed "the engineering triumph of its age" and created the world’s first transcontinental communications system with an impact compared to the advent of the internet.
Laying the cable in the depths of the Atlantic proved to be hugely problematic but once operational, it transformed Valentia Island. The remote south-west corner of Ireland became the European hub of the Victorian telecoms industry.
Watch Building Ireland on Thursdays at 8pm on RTÉ One.
