Eirbyte's "Build Your Own Wind Turbine" course led by Hugh Piggott features on RTE Nationwide
Having attended this course in Gort, September 2008, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. I revived my knowledge of electrics and woodworking skills, learnt some welding and took part in building a wind turbine from scratch (shown below in the video). There were lots of interesting people to meet on the course, not forgetting the most gracious hosts - Marion and Flor - an excellent experience all round...
Jimmy and Miriam (Eirbyte) have just started another workshop in Ballinamore today, which I believe is already sold out. No doubt due to the 400,000 viewers (myself included) who watched them on Nationwide on RTE last Friday evening. The emails are flooding in as a result...
Fortunately, there will be another week long course next September again in Gort, so if you're interested now is the time to book as I'm sure the places will be snapped up very quickly.
For more information please visit:
Scoraig Wind - Hugh Piggott's website
From the description on Google Video...
"RTE TV "Nationwide" contacted us about our successful week-long course with Hugh Piggott in September. To film our grass-roots work for a new ecological feature starting Jan/Feb 2009. Niall Martin (Producer) and Enda O'Brien (Camera) were so professional that everyone relaxed within a few minutes and filming went pretty smoothly.
Even the very camera shy who ended up on film seemed to be the better for it (mind you, I've yet to talk with their therapists!). Gusting wind was a concern as the turbine would be at it's most vulnerable during lowering and raising. But it calmed in the afternoon so we could give Niall the shots he wanted. Interesting to observe the pros at work... especially their avoiding the more technical sides of the project.
So even though disappointed not to have been interviewed about the welding invovled, I can understand why. Because most Nationwide viewers will simply want to know - how much would it cost me to build one? - what will it do for me? - what are the basic principles of wind turbines anyhow? And if they're happy with the answers the TV crew extracted from us, they might consider one of our courses, a day visit to one or using our DIY workshop service in Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim. September 2008 course particpants might like to take note of two changes to the turbine.
The stunning colours Flor put on the turbine and the very neat, mostly-pallets insulated battery box. Featured were: ENDA 'camera rolling' O'BRIEN NIALL 'man with the (flexible) plan' MARTIN FLOR 'almost off-grid' BURKE JIMMY 'electric' DOWDS (Course Instructor) MIRIAM 'blades' SHEERIN (Course Instructor) JOHN 'little john' SHIEL (Course Participant) Myself in the yellow jacket. Most of the filming in the field was done by Miriam Sheerin (thanks Mir!). That was cobbled together with my own clips of the last two interviews and from earlier in the day."
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