Why Is Ireland So Bad at Building Big?

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 — how do we get unstuck? On today’s podcast, Sean Defoe is joined by Maeve Jennings, founder of Harcourt Investments, one of the key figures behind the early Temple Bar regeneration and now a senior player in major infrastructure projects in France. From Paris, she explains why Ireland’s problem isn’t talent but structure, why we struggle to assemble land, how special delivery companies changed cities abroad, and what Ireland must do if it ever wants to build a metro, a hospital or even a new neighbourhood without a decade of delay. If you’ve thoughts on this, drop us an email: ✉️ [email protected]