Cork Gaeltacht builder to feature in new TG4 series on construction industry

A new TG4 series focusing on the construction industry gets under way next week and will follow a builder from the Cork Gaeltacht village of Baile Mhúirne as he sets about rebuilding the hall of the school he attended himself as a child.

Freddie Ó Loingsigh has built many houses and other buildings around the Múscraí area and the new TG4 series, Na Builders, will focus on a particular project close to his heart, the rebuilding of the hall of Scoil Abán Naofa in Baile Mhic Íre, the twin village of Baile Mhúirne.

The series commences on Thursday, March 20, and the producers promise to shine the spotlight on construction workers from across the country as they battle the elements — and occasionally each other — to get the job done.

The company, which previously produced series on agricultural contractors, have promised a series that will spend time with builders of all shapes and sizes, in rural and urbans settings.

“We’ll be looking at what they are building and who they are building for and getting a real sense of where we are in building Ireland these days,” said a New Departures Media representative. 

“From bricklayers to electricians, plumbers to roofers, plasterers to carpenters, these hard-working men and women are part of our everyday lives in Ireland.”

For Freddie Lynch, who has headed up a number of community building projects in the Múscraí area, the demolition of the old school hall and its rebuilding was one of the biggest projects he had worked on. 

The builder employs four workers full-time as well as subcontractors and they undertake a variety of tasks, including groundworks, roofing, first fix, and tarmacs.

The series will also take in building projects in An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht as well as construction sites in other parts of the country. 

One of these projects is the luxury home being built in Portmarnock, Co Dublin, by Phil Loughran, who started his career in the industry as a carpenter.