Popular documentary series to explore construction of city canals and NUI Galway

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A popular documentary series is to explore the 19th century decisions to construct a canal system and locate a major university in Galway City.
Works on the Eglinton Canal began in 1848 to further develop Galway as a commercial centre – while NUI Galway was founded as Queens College in 1849.
‘Building Ireland’ aims to explore and explain Ireland’s greatest building and engineering achievements and how they contributed to the development of towns and cities nationwide.
The RTÉ production will examine Galway’s commercial and industrial landscape in 1850, the suitability of the terrain for canal building and the need for greater commercial access to the hinterland of Connacht.
Experts will draw comparisons between the success of the city’s Eglinton Canal and the failure of the Cong Canal, which was abandoned in 1854.
Researchers will also examine the decision made in 1845 to chose Galway as the site of a new university, Queens College, over many other cities in the then British Empire.
The creation of the city’s canal system and the founding of NUI Galway will be explored in ‘Building Ireland’ on RTÉ One at 8.30pm tomorrow.