IN the lead up to this year’s festival which will take place in April, WildMind is hosting a number of fundraising events.

One of these will take place this Wednesday evening and will focus on a regular visitor to the area: The Brent Goose.

Join Gerry Murphy of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group as we follow the journey of Brent Geese from Kerry to Iceland over the Greenland Ice Cap to the Canadian Arctic and back, along with a screening of local filmmaker James McCarthy’s short film of the Brent Geese in Fenit. A native of Castlegregory, Gerry Murphy developed an interest in nature from an early age.

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Gerry has worked as a Forester with Coillte took a mid-career detour to study Ecology at UCC and now works as an independent Ecological Surveyor mainly in infrastructure developments such as wind farms, road construction, quarries and aquaculture.

He is a past chairperson of the Society of Irish Foresters and Irish Whooper Swans Study Group and is current chairperson of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group (IBGRG), and a member of BWI, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWSG), BurrenBeo Trust.

James McCarthy of Digimac Video and Photography, Fenit, has produced a host of films on local interest, his feature length film on the Tralee-Fenit Railway/Greenway was screened to a full house at WildMind 2023.

Ticket for this event are €10 (available on EventBrite) and will take place at 7:30pm in the Beach Cafe Fenit. Click on this link for more https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-brent-goose-tickets-837976027857

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FENIT is set to embrace her wild side this coming weekend, as Wild Mind returns with a bang after an enforced break due to the pandemic.

The festival promises a stellar lineup of scientists,  environmentalists, authors and artists mixed with a series of fun events, film, music and comedy, in what promises to be a fun filled family weekend.

Coinciding with World Earth Day, the festival will take place at the end of the Tralee-Fenit Greenway in a specially constructed “Festival Village”.

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If you have ever thought about growing your own food, learning about what lives in Tralee bay or learning of the amazing history of the Tralee to Fenit railway line, then Fenit is the place to be this coming weekend.

Treat yourself to a turn in a wood-fired sauna on the beach, take part in a guided walk that talks you through the biodiversity that we pass every day or meet Fenit’s friendly dolphins on a kayak tour of the Lighthouse.

Just a snapshot of the many events that will showcase our wildlife systems in Kerry and how we can bring about the change that our planet so desperately needs.

The festival is playing host to some big names this year as RTE’s environmental stalwart Duncan Stewart leads a stellar cast that includes renowned comedian Colm O’Regan, UCC professor Hannah Daly, and the Irish Wildlife Trust’s Pádraic Fogarty.

Sunday has something for all the family, with activities for young and old, food stalls, local artisan producers and craft demonstrations.

Wild Mind aims to empower people to make everyday changes in how we think about and treat the planet.

The Festival will be officially launched by Duncan Stewart on Friday at 6pm in the Festival Barn at the end of the Greenway.

The festival ends on a lighthearted note as comedian Colm O’Regan brings his comedy show Climate Worrier to Fenit on Sunday April 23rd at 7pm. Tickets are €15 euros and are available on Eventbrite. For more see the Facebook page here.

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