We Built This City traces the Irish involvement in building London, from their back-breaking work digging the Tube tunnels to the rise of the Irish culturally and politically. The film speaks to first and second generation Irish working in London and juxtaposes archive imagery with shots of the London we see today.

We Built this City is a Dyehouse Films production, directed by Bonnie Dempsey and edited by David O’Sullivan. The film was screened as an introduction to a panel discussion about the contribution Irish people have made to the built and cultural fabric of London, from historic to contemporary times, which took place at the Rich Mix Cinema on June30th 2015, as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

We Built this City is curated by Nathalie Weadick, Director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, assisted by Rachel Gallagher and is in collaboration with Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) and the Office of the Minister for Diaspora Affairs of Ireland. ID2015 is an initiative backed by the Irish Government celebrating and promoting Irish design in Ireland and internationally.