Title: People and Progress: Bernie’s Story
Duration: 2:54 minutes
Description:
The experience of Bernie, a project engineer with the Corrib gas field project in County Mayo, Ireland.
People and Progress: Bernie’s Story Film Transcript
[Background music plays]
Interview with Bernie McManamon
[Bernie McManamon]
Bernie McManamon
Project Engineer, Erris
[Bernie]
[OC] My name is Bernie McManamon, I come from Erris, in County Mayo.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Village harbor at high tide
Bernie walks on a path at the outskirts of a village
[Bernie]
At home I was always tending towards making stuff. I decided to become a civil engineer.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
A pair of boots being tied
Bernie prepares to leave home, puts on safety vest.
Bernie at work in safety vest and hard hat
[Bernie]
The year I qualified, 60% of my class moved abroad for work, but I was fortunate enough to get a job, only four kilometres from my home.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Fast motion of construction work
Bernie in safety vest and hard hat on work site
Beach with town and mountain in the distance
[Bernie]
The Corrib gas project was one of the largest construction projects in Ireland at the time.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Two different views of construction work.
Team of workers in safety vests and hard hats.
[Bernie]
As a young engineer moving into the project, I got to see how much effort was put in.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Bernie at work in an office
A large crane moves a large cylindrical object
Bernie in safety vest and hard hat on work site
[Bernie]
[OC] It’s hard to understand what was involved to be working on a Shell site.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Various scenes of construction work
[Bernie]
All the guys mentored me well.
These were engineers that had travelled the world. They were always training me, mentoring me.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Helicopter shot of oil rig
Bernie on site of construction work
[Bernie]
The site is located in a bog area.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Map of the district showing the location of the site
The site seen from a distance, through tree branches
[Bernie]
[OC] Shell committed in the beginning that they would bring it back to how it was.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Footage of the bay, with sheep grazing
[Bernie]
So when they were digging out the peat, the top layer was kept and marked and stored on site.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Bog area construction works: removal of top layer
[Bernie]
[OC] Each of those pieces are put back in the exact location it was taken from.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Bog area construction works: Bernie looks at stored peat.
[Bernie]
And people used to laugh, but we used to always have to water them to make sure that the nutrition they were getting was sufficient to be put back in the place where they were taken from.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Bog area construction works: various heavy machinery activities.
[Bernie]
From a visual perspective, we also have to make sure that it matched the surroundings, so the fencing that we would have around the site was green, and above the site [VO] was grey, so any of our cranes or buildings [OC] have to be painted grey to suit the sky.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Bog area construction works: pan across works in progress
Green fencing around bog area
Work facilities from a distance
Flag flying from large stationary crane
[Bernie]
We had strict noise limits as well. We had noise meters around the site, and if the level went near or close to exceeded, we’d actually get a text to your phone.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Presentation slide projected, headed Noise Limits
People watching a presentation
Noise monitoring equipment in use
Various construction site activities
[Bernie]
I’ll be telling my kids in the future, you know, we actually sent TBM, our tunnel boring machine, under the bay, and they probably won’t believe me, because it’ll be bog land.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Tunnel boring machine works in action
A team of workers pose for a photo holding up signs saying 4.9 KM.
Aerial shot of countryside
[Bernie]
The past four years I couldn't have asked for better experience and exposure. It’s taught me the importance of understanding your community, and to be you know, aware of what could impact them.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Fast motion of construction work
Aerial shots of the village and harbour
Large cylindrical object being manoeuvred into place
[Bernie]
I’d like to stay in Ireland and work in Ireland. I look at my [OC] CV and I'm proud of it, and I have to be thankful for Shell for that.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Tunnelling works in progress
Long country road leads off into the distance
Bernie in safety vest and hard hat on construction site
Aerial shot of beach
Bernie at work in an office
[Bernie]
To say that I was involved in one of the largest projects in Ireland, it’s – it’s amazing, yes.
[Video footage]
Split screen:
Animation of the tunnel building project
Footage of plant and production
Bernie in safety vest and hard hat on construction site
[Text displays]
Bernie is one of more than 6,000 people who have worked on bringing Corrib gas ashore.
Corrib has helped other individuals and companies to progress and prosper.
Shell logo.
Statoil logo.
Vermilion Energy logo
The Corrib gas field development is a Shell operated joint venture with Statoil and Vermilion Energy.
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