S4 Ep6: Inside the Julian Benson Foundation's Tranquility Project with Dermot Bannon

Under Construction with Chadwicks

During this captivating episode, Donncha O'Callaghan, Julian Benson and Dermot Bannon give insights into the challenges they have faced transforming a ‘period building that needs a lot of love and attention’ to a ‘home away from home’ for CF families. Dermot also shares his thoughts on the number of buildings in Dublin which should be ‘reused better’, saying there are some ‘great’ derelict buildings in the city that are not being repurposed successfully like they are in other European cities such as Barcelona and Paris.
Dermot believes that ‘a lot of the city of Dublin has fallen into dereliction’ and that in Ireland, ‘buildings are let go’ instead of being renovated to live up to their full potential. He says it only takes twenty minutes to walk anywhere in Dublin city centre before you ‘hit dereliction’ and that while it is ‘tricky’ to restore a derelict building, it is ultimately worthwhile.
Dermot also speaks about the construction industry and believes that the government needs to do more to ‘protect skilled tradespeople’ especially at times when there isn’t work available for everyone. He also believes that there is a common misconception about careers in the trades industry, and that more needs to be done at second level, particularly through subjects such as engineering and wood technology (‘woodwork’) to educate students about what a career in the trades can look like.
Dermot shares the many positive benefits of working in different trades, as well as the skills it requires, such as creativity, problem solving, and teamwork. He feels that the government also need to ‘dispel the beliefs that some parents have about what education is’ and that completing third level education is a necessity, as it doesn’t suit all. Dermot Bannon also discusses the lack of women in the construction industry and how this issue could be tackled.