Tag Archives: transition kerry

Free Events Over Coming Month To Focus On Tralee’s Rivers

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Alan Balfe; Senior Ecologist & Educator Tralee Bay Wetlands , Colm Walsh Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO , Keith Phelan and Niamh Ní Dhúill Transition Kerry at the launch of event taking place over the next six week focusing on Tralee’s rivers.  Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

TRANSITION Kerry and Tralee Bay Wetlands are hosting a series of free community events in September and October, celebrating the rivers of Tralee, including the Big River/The Gyle, the Balloonagh River and of course the River Lee after which the town has been named.

There will be a River Cycle – psychogeographical exploration of Tralee’s rivers, past, present and future on September 8, being led by Keith Phelan.

This will start with a talk at the Wetlands starting at 2pm, followed by a cycle along some of the rivers in Tralee town from 3-5pm.  This will be an exploration of the psychological and geographical changes of Tralee’s rivers over time.

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On September 28, participants will meet from 2.30-5pm at the bridge over the Big River/The Gyle on Brewery Road to learn about ‘Life along our Rivers’.

Learn who we share these rivers with – from otters, birds, bats, fish and insects, all who depend on the river’s quality of water and their vital role as ecological corridors in the town.

On October 12,  the final event in this series, ‘The Rivers of Tralee – An Archaeological Perspective’ will see Lar Dunne, a local Tralee archeologist, speak about the past 6,000 years –  the archaeology of life in the wetlands of the Tralee / Lee Valley area’.

These public events are all possible with the support of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and Kerry County Council.

To book your place for any or all of the events, you will find links to register on Tralee Bay Wetlands website.

Contact Tralee Bay Wetlands to for further information or book a place (066-7126700).  All events are free and all are welcome to attend.  Tá fáilte roimh gach duine.

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Public Invited To Event Aiming To Create Biodiversity Plan For Greenway

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Martha Farrell and Zoe Rush of Tralee Tidy Towns who are looking forward to the event next Monday.

TRALEE Tidy Towns, with support from Transition Kerry, Kerry County Council and Irish Wildlife Trust (Kerry branch), will hold a community collaboration event at The Rose Hotel next Monday from 7:30-8:30pm.

The aim is to work towards the creation of a Community Biodiversity Action Plan for the Tralee-Fenit Greenway.

The organisers aim to get a diverse range of views and ideas from the local community on initiatives to help promote and enhance biodiversity along the Tralee to Fenit Greenway.

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Those interested are asked to register their interest by sending an email to tidytownstralee@gmail.com

The main objectives of this event are to empower local voices and encourage the contribution of existing knowledge of biodiversity along the Greenway route and also to raise awareness of the importance and implications of biodiversity in our communities. It is the second community engagement event undertaken as part of the project.

Tralee Tidy Towns has received funding from the Community Foundation of Ireland to create a Community Biodiversity Action Plan (CBAP) for the Tralee to Fenit Greenway.

This CBAP will help Tralee Tidy Towns to attract more funding to implement the plan and empower other community groups and individuals to help enhance biodiversity along the greenway.

Ger Scollard of Irish Wildlife Trust (Kerry Branch) and Tralee Tidy Towns said: “This is an opportunity for anyone in the Tralee area with an interest in taking action for Biodiversity along the Greenway to get involved and we urge all those who’d like to have an input in the planning and implementation of biodiversity actions along the Greenway to  attend.”

Brendan O’Brien, Chair of Tralee Tidy Towns said: “We invite all who have interest in the Tralee to Fenit Greenway itself and those who are passionate about the local community’s biodiversity.  This Action Plan and all its community engagements are a great opportunity for local people to witness the importance of biodiversity in our communities and take action to protect and enhance it.”

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‘From The Ground Up’ Gathering In Tralee To Celebrate Biodiversity Initiatives

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A GATHERING will take place next weekend in Tralee to showcase and celebrate the many biodiversity initiatives that have taken place all over Kerry during the past few challenging years.

‘From The Ground Up – Celebrating Biodiversity, Leadership and Community Wellbeing’ will take place in a number of locations in town on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8.

This gathering is a culmination of a three-year Transition Farming Programme and four Biodiversity, Climate Community Leadership Programmes, funded by NEWKD, LEADER and delivered by Transition Kerry.

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Participants will be inspired, learn new skills and encouraged to share knowledge and insights in the programme of local events, while networking with communities and agencies.

These public events are free and will be based around Tralee Bay Wetlands and The Moyderwell area. Click on this link to register for each event: or https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/from-the-ground-up-1183129

A number of the events are in collaboration with https://kerrymentalhealthandwellbeingfest.com

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‘Before The Flood’ To Be Screened At Wetlands On Wednesday

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TRANSITION Kerry is screening Leonardo DiCaprio’s recent film ‘Before the Flood – a film on climate change’ this Wednesday at Tralee Bay Wetlands from 7.30 – 9.30pm.

This film shows how Leonardo DiCaprio meets with scientists, activists and world leaders to discuss the challenges of climate change and possible solutions. He also addresses the Climate Talks in Paris in 2015.

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All are welcome to the free admission to the screening, donations are welcome and go towards the running of Transition Kerry events.

The next Climate Talks are in Bonn from the 6th to the 17th November this year. Professor John Sweeny will be attending these talks.

He will be giving input about these talks to with a recorded interview at Transition Kerry’s other upcoming public climate action conference – ‘Up for the Challenge? – Community solutions to Climate Change’. This will be on Saturday 11th November from 9.30am – 4pm at Manor West Hotel, Tralee.

Registration for 11th November is essential. There is a €10 contribution to the event, but concessions are available.   REGISTER HERE: https://www.iregister.ie/v2/events/transition-kerry/

Please contact them directly if you need further information or want to volunteer – Niamh Ní Dhúill @ 086 7247066 – info@transitionkerry.org.

This event is supported by The EPA, Kerry County Council, Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op, Siamsa Tíre, Kerry PPN and Cultivate.

Transition Kerry is a community group, which aims to build local sustainability by working with existing community and business networks (www.transitionkerry.org).

Transition Kerry Talk On Climate Change

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A TALK On ‘Community Solutions For Climate Change’ will take place on Saturday November 11 in Manor West Hotel from 9.30 – 4pm.

The event will focus on what kind of future do we want to create for Kerry and how do we create community solutions to the challenges of climate change?

It will pose the questions of how we will feed ourselves, where will we get our energy from, how will we travel around and other queries.

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Speakers include John Gibbons (journalist) and Dr. Cara Agustenborg, Dr. Margaret Desmond (Environmental Research Institute (ERI), UCC).

There will also be online input from Professor John Sweeney (IPCC climatologist) and Rob Hopkins, who started the Transition initiative in Kinsale over 12 years ago.

There will also be a short presentation from Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-operative and from Transition Kerry on their 3-year plan.  Davie Philips from Cultivate will be facilitating with Transition Kerry with a world cafe.

This event is being supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kerry County Council (KCC), North East & West Kerry Development (NEWKD) and Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op (KSEC).

More details can be found on www.transitionkerry.org. If you need further information or want to get involved in the transition, contact Niamh Ní Dhúill @ 086 7247066 – info@transitionkerry.org.

Transition Kerry will be hosting a film screening on November 1 at Tralee Bay Wetlands – Leonardo DiCaprio’s film ‘Before the Flood’.

Square Space For Transition Kerry During Tralee Food Festival

 

TRANSITION Kerry will be hosting a ‘Sustainable Space’ at Tralee Food Festival on this Saturday in the Square.

This is to celebrate and showcase the work that is being done by local community groups and small local sustainable businesses.

Tralee Allotments Project will show how the Community Apple Press works. The fresh apple juice from local apples can be tasted on the day.

Through the autumn, the public are welcome to bring their apples to the Moyderwell Allotments between 9-1pm during the week, where they will be pressed for you and give you back your own apple juice. Bring your own containers.

Shanakill Community Organic Garden, Castleisland Community Garden and Gortbrack Organic Farm will bring some of their food harvests and promote their upcoming educational programmes.

Donal O’Leary from Stop Food Waste will demonstrate how to compost food waste. Learn about Foodshare Kerry, a food bank that rescues quality surplus food from supermarkets and food producers and makes it available to organisations to redistribute it to those in need.

Meet members of the Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-operative  to hear the benefits of membership, their initiatives such as the bulk buying of locally sourced wood for fuel, provision of the energy and moisture metres to  the local libraries, sourcing grants and their series of public information evenings on renewable energy.

The Kerry Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust will explain their work and upcoming events to be hosted by Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre.

The Transition Kerry ‘Sustainable Space’ is one of the activities of the National Convergence Festival, with events happening all around the country. www.cultivate.ie/convergence-festival

If you want to get involved and volunteer in the Tralee Space contact Niamh @ 086 7247066.  Find Transition Kerry on Facebook page and at www.transitionkerry.org

Public Meeting In Rose Hotel On Natural Waters In Kerry

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THE Waters and Communities Office are hosting public meetings to discuss the natural waters of county Kerry over the coming weeks and one will be held in The Rose Hotel on this Wednesday.

Bláithín Ní Ainín Community Water Officer for Kerry will present information on the latest draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018 – 2021 along with details on how you can have a say.

There will be discussion on local interests such as: water quality, angling, heritage, biodiversity, amenity use or issues affecting your local waterways. This is an opportunity to share your knowledge of your local waterways.

 

South Kerry Development Partnership (SKDP) and North East and West Kerry Development (NEWKD) will be present for the meetings within their area, to discuss the upcoming targeted call for Expressions of Interest in the Rural Environment theme and sub-themes.

There will be refreshments after the meeting and opportunities to meet and talk.

The meetings are scheduled for all around the county:

Wednesday 3rd May @ 7.30 pm
@ The Rose Hotel, Tralee

Thursday 11th May@ 7.30 pm @
KDYS Youth Centre, Fairhill, Killarney

Tuesday 30th May @ 7.30 pm @
Ring of Kerry Hotel, Cahersiveen

Thursday 1st June @ 7.30 pm @
Killorglin Library, Killorglin

Thursday 8th June @ 7.30 pm @
Listowel Family Resource Centre, Listowel

Tuesday 13th June @ 7.30 pm @
Carnegie Arts Centre, Kenmare

Thursday 15th June @ 7.30 pm @
Benners Hotel, Dingle

For more information, contact Bláithín on bniainin@lawco.ie or 085 8083716, visit www.watersandcommunities.ie,

www.newkd.net or www.southkerry.ie and like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/watersandcommunities

‘Feeding The Kingdom’ By 2030 Meeting To Be Held

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Transition Kerry
Transition Kerry

TRANSITION KERRY are to host an evening that focuses in on local food production in Kerry on St. John’s Parish Centre, November 16 between 7:30pm and 9:30pm.

The objective of this group is to develop a roadmap within the next year for a resilient and sustainable food system in Kerry by 2030.

Thomas O’Connor of Transition Kerry Food Group will be speaking about the potential to create real sustainable food production in Kerry by 2030.

Also speaking will be Trade It Project Ireland’s Hub Co-ordinator, Michael Gleeson, who will focus on the Trade It Project and the need to support local food producers and SME’s.

This will be followed by a discussion about activating a working food group. These events are free, but all donations are gratefully accepted and go towards the ongoing running of our public events.

Transition Kerry is a community group, which aims to build local sustainability and resilience by working with existing community and business networks. For more Information contact Niamh on 086-7247066.

Free Event In Town Tonight To Focus On Climate Change

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Martha Farrell of the Maharees Conservation Group will speak tonight at an event on climate change.

TRANSTION Kerry is inviting people to a free event this evening (Wednesday) focusing on how climate change is having visible affects both locally and globally.

Taking place in St John’s Parish Centre, there will be a film screening of The Burning Question, Trocaire’s most recent short film which shows how climate change is affecting farmers in Malawi.

This will be followed by a talk by Martha Farrell of the Maharees Conservation Group, who will speak on how severe weather is affecting their community.

The event – a collaboration between Transition Kerry, Trocaire, Kerry One World Centre and the Maharees Conservation Group – takes place from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and is supported by Kerry County Council and North East and West Kerry Development. All are welcome.

Renewable Energy Exhibition To Be Held In Library

 

Transition KerryTRANSITION Kerry is holding an exhibition on renewable energy from October 27 to 31 at the Kerry County Library.

This is combined with the launch of a new Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-operative to be launched at the library at noon on Saturday October 31.

The exhibition will include: public talks a film “Drop in the Ocean? Ireland and Climate Change” presentations from schools and some fun interactive activities.

Evening events will be held at 6.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday and the exhibition is open during library hours each day. There will also be an opportunity during the week for interested people to sign up to membership of the new Kerry Sustainable Energy co-op.

Currently €470m leaves Kerry every year because we buy imported energy, €227m of that sum is spent by the residential sector.

We could stem some of this outflow of money by becoming more energy self-reliant as a county. Wood energy, district heating systems, solar energy etc are all steps towards such self-sufficiency. A recent study has shown we have the potential to produce 10 times the current county energy demand through renewables.

The Co-op will source and purchase good quality wood fuel, from within the county and make this available for members to purchase. To promote energy awareness and energy efficiency, the Co-op will supply electricity monitors which can be hired out from the library by library members.

The monitors will allow householders to monitor their electricity use and to learn which appliances are heavy and light users of energy. Future projects include: forming energy clusters to retrofit houses and sourcing small pockets of unused ground for fuel energy allotments where people can grow their own wood fuel.

The Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op will be launched at 12pm on Saturday 31st October and will be followed by two presentations from pupils from two schools in the county. For more information look up www.transitionkerry.org or find us on Facebook.

For more details contact: Niamh Ní Dhúill on 086 7247066 or Mary Shanahan on 086 0832631

Energy Week
Energy Week

Mini-Village Springs Up In The Park For Féile na mBláth

Darach Ó Murchú, Dingle of Elements Outdoor Training at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Darach Ó Murchú, Dingle of Elements Outdoor Training at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean

ANYONE in the Town Park at the weekend would have stumbled upon a mini-village filled with eco-friendly smells and sounds.

“We’ve set up a Transition Village here, where we have cooking demonstrations, homemade ice-cream, local artists and herbalists displaying their work,” said  Niamh Ní Dhúill of Transition Kerry.

“We’re trying to show all the positive things happening around Tralee and Kerry. We try to work with Kerry County Council and community groups to bring real sustainability on to the agenda so it becomes part of everyday life,” said Niamh.

Among those showing their wares were Thomas O’Connor of Manna Organic produce.

“There’s loads people around so it’s great. We’re 100 percent organic and we’re just showing what we do here today. We’re doing a ‘Street Feast’ where   we get people to come out and share lunch. So we’ve tables set up, we have salads and sausages from the Farmers market and we’re encouraging people to join us for lunch,” said Thomas.

Other businesses and groups there were Tralee’s Men’s Shed, Kerry Biofuels and many artists and craftspeople who provided a colourful diversion for the thousands of people who passed through the Park at the weekend.

Marie Sheehan, Jim Wrenn, John Foley and Maureen Foley at the Men's Shed stand at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Marie Sheehan, Jim Wrenn, John Foley and Maureen Foley at the Men’s Shed stand at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Molly and Aoife Sheehy at the Country Flowers stand at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Molly and Aoife Sheehy at the Country Flowers stand at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean

 

Mary Shanahan of Transition Kerry with Bradley Deutrom, Sinead Hussey and Mckenzie Deutrom of Kerry Biofuels at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Mary Shanahan of Transition Kerry with Bradley Deutrom, Sinead Hussey and Mckenzie Deutrom of Kerry Biofuels at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Thomas O'Connor of Manna Organic Store at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Thomas O’Connor of Manna Organic Store at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Laura Ashley O'Sullivan, Rachel Dunne and Helena Stackpoole inside the 'Yurt' at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Laura Ashley O’Sullivan, Rachel Dunne and Helena Stackpoole inside the ‘Yurt’ at the Transition Kerry mini-village in the Town Park on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean