Author: Lucian

On Tuesday, August 8th a delegation of the key stakeholders of the Valentia end of the Transnational UNESCO project, arrived at Heart’s Content in Newfoundland, Canada, home to the landing site of the first Transatlantic Cable. The delegation was led by the newly appointed Mayor of Kerry, Mr Jim Finucane, along with officials from Kerry County Council and the Department of Heritage. Also, as part of the working group, there were representatives from Valentia Island Development Company and the Transatlantic Cable Foundation.

The delegation received a warm reception from their counterparts in Newfoundland including the Minister responsible for Heritage, his officials, representatives from Parks Canada, and the local community at Hearts Content. Highlights of the visit included a walking tour of the historic sites at Hearts Content, many mirroring those at Valentia, a visit to the Cable Station and an evening reception with the local community, hosted by the Mayor of Hearts Content, Mr Doug Piercy.

The Irish and Canadian delegations participated in a series of workshops over three days at the Heart’s Content Cable Station. Hopes for the future were shared, new friendships were forged and actions were agreed to move forward on the joint UNESCO application and the collaboration between the two communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

We look forward to staying in touch with the community at Hearts Content and plans are already being discussed for a return visit of a Canadian delegation to Valentia next summer.

 

Article by: Leonard Hobbs

On Friday, July 28^th the 7^th Valentia Lecture returned to the historic Cable Station with a new theme “A Vision for Ireland and its Place in the Digital World “

We were delighted to be joined by Mr Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner at BT, Entrepreneur Mr Norman Crowley of Cool Planet, and cable security expert, Dr Camino Kavanagh.

In addressing the theme of this year’s Lecture, the speakers discussed topics including;

• The future of Ireland’s economy in a connected world
• The opportunity of Ireland being the greenest country on Earth
• The role of Ireland in the security of subsea cables
• Trends shaping the future of work

 

This year we again hosted an online “link-up” with Hearts Content in Newfoundland Canada, featuring a greeting from each country’s Ambassador and updates from both sides of the Atlantic on the hopes and plans for achieving UNESCO heritage status for this transnational project.

The Lecture was followed by a gala dinner at the Royal Hotel in which Her Excellency, Ms Nancy Smyth, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, on her third visit to Valentia, delivered an after-dinner address, following a welcome from Mr. Shay Walsh, MD of BT Ireland. We welcomed over 140 guests to the dinner, our largest yet, and many thanks to the staff at the Royal for taking care of us so well.

The Gala dinner also saw the closing on Friday the ‘online’ silent auction. Over 30 items were offered for auction including unique Kerry jerseys, bespoke hotel accommodation packages and golf outings. In addition, there was a draw for a pair of economy class tickets with Air Canada from Dublin to either Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. We are delighted to say that over €20k was raised with the auction and we would like to sincerely thank all those who donated and bid on the auction.

 

 

 

The Foundation is very grateful to the team at Aspen Grove who coordinated the auction, along with our sponsors this year, BT Ireland and National Broadband Ireland.

 

Article by: Leonard Hobbs

The inaugural Ark Storytelling Festival took place on Valentia Island in 2022 and plans are underway for this year’s weekend of inspiring workshops and performances. The key elements of the festival remain with a balance of local and visiting performers and facilitators and new features have been added to the programme to complement the main songwriting workshop.

The songwriting workshop in 2022 was a great success. Some participants have gone on to write and record songs, commence MA’s in songwriting and one attendee called the workshop “life-changing”!

We have no doubt that renowned musician Ultan Conlon will deliver the same degree of success. This year’s workshop is intensive and fun, running over two days, with 7 hours of practice on your songwriting craft. Suitable for beginners and those with more experience the aim of the workshop is to tap into your creativity and release the songs that are within you. Ultan has been running this workshop for a while and one lady had this to say about the experience, “I gained inspiration, encouragement, and many practical tips which have spurred me on to start writing again, something I put off for years. I recommend this course to any budding songwriters”. This is the first time this workshop has come to South Kerry and it is not to be missed.

On Saturday night, June 17th, Ultan will perform live with his band, with support from talented local singers/songwriters. Ultan has performed with Jackson Browne, Shelby Lynne, John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, Bryan Ferry, John Grant, Eddi Reader, Patty Griffin, and Richard Hawley, among others and his voice has been compared to Roy Orbison. This is guaranteed to be a wonderful night on the island.

Irish musician ADT (Alan Daniel Tobin) is taking his new single, ‘From The Eastern Shore’, to the coasts of Ireland in a series of performances at six iconic lighthouses over the summer months. The tour, dubbed The Little Lighthouse Tour, kicks off in June for a two-month run. ADT will perform at Valentia Island Lighthouse on Sunday 18th June at 16:30 as part of the Ark Storytelling Festival.

In addition to the live performance and workshop this year the festival includes a poetry workshop with acclaimed local poet, Paddy Bushe, followed by an Open Mic Poetry Night, an opportunity to share your poems with a wonderfully warm, supportive audience. There will also be a Literary Salon Coffee Morning, featuring local fiction writers discussing their writing process. This will be a relaxed, informal gathering at Valentia Lighthouse and there will be lots of chances for beginner writers to ask questions and find inspiration.

And because we will all be brimming with creativity, but maybe running out of energy after all that, on Sunday morning there will be a rejuvenating Yoga & Journalling for Creativity session on Sunday morning.

Click HERE for all tickets and further information, or scan the QR Code:

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Valentia Island Community Team Public Meeting

Following a well-attended public meeting held at the Ring Lyne, Chapeltown, Valentia Island on Tuesday, 15th November 2022, the Valentia Island Community Team was formed to oversee the development of the Valentia Island Socio-Economic Plan. The Team comprises people who live and work in and around Valentia and is a direct link between the local community and voluntary groups, business groups, Kerry County Council, and South Kerry Development Partnership CLG.
The Valentia Island Community Team has an essential role in identifying ways to retain a strong community at the heart of a vibrant and busy Valentia Island by ensuring that available funding is applied for by local groups and businesses and is used to benefit the Island as a whole.
The Team’s vision is to connect all of Valentia Island’s people and places, harness its social and economic opportunities and contribute to a strong, healthy, inclusive, and sustainable community.
In addition, it will provide an agreed, evidence-based reference for the Island’s future development. The Valentia Island Socio-Economic Plan will energize and reinvigorate the Island to reinforce the pride of place in the area by supporting initiatives and projects that will help to create jobs and facilitate business start-ups. A core principle of the Valentia Island Community Team is the involvement of all who live and work on the  Island in designing and delivering solutions for future development.
The first Planning Session will be held at the Cable Station, Knightstown, on Monday, 28th November 2022, at 7:30 pm. Exodea Europe Consulting Limited will facilitate the meeting. Everyone is invited to attend!

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Article by: Exodea Europe Consulting Ltd.