A proud heritage

摘要

President of the Institution of Engineers, Peter Langford, gave the annual President's Address to an overflowing audience at Clyde Road this December. In an inspirational presentation, he described how engineers can live the IEI's mission for members to serve society and "seek to improve quality of life for all, creating prosperity and adding value through innovation and the promotion of health, safety and sustainable development" His address began by tracing the historical context of engineering from daVinci to more recent examples, closer to home such as Thomas McLaughlin. McLaughlin, a former Institution President, almost single-handedly persuaded the fledging Irish government in the 1920s to invest a huge percentage of its annual expenditure budget in developing the Shannon Scheme and, thus, the national electricity network. Despite very strong opposition, he managed to move the economic and social development of the country forward at least a decade ahead of where it otherwise would have been, were it not for his vision, persistence and persuasiveness.