Tech Amergin: the ‘pulse’ of the community

The centre is there because of the community and honestly without it, we wouldn’t function.

Fergus Dennehy talks to Susan Walsh, the Centre Manager at the Tech Amergin Community Arts & Education Centre in Waterville. Described my many as “the pulse” of the community, Susan talks to us about the work of the centre, including two different strands that the centre offers - Arts & Education. The Centre offers services such as day and evening classes, accredited courses, art exhibitions, movie screenings and much more.

IF there’s one thing that Susan Walsh wants to get across in her interview with me this past week, it is this - don’t be afraid to call into the Tech Amergin Arts & Education in Waterville.

Whether you’re popping into enquire about upcoming day or night classes as part of the centre’s education offerings or whether you’re looking for tickets to the latest performance in the centre’s purpose-built pristine 99 seat theatre, Susan said that she and the rest of the staff will always be happy to help.

A Ballinskelligs native, Susan has been teaching and working in the centre for well over 10 years and so is well versed to tell me all about the extensive education programme that the centre has to offer.

“We’re luck in the sense that we are run under Kerry Education and Training Board (ETB) so we are able to run three types of programmes here in the centre accredited programmes, hobby courses and community education courses,” said Susan, speaking on Tuesday.

“The accredited courses are QQI (aka, the old FETAC) and are run both day and night,” she said.”

“People can also take part in what we call a self financing course or a hobby type course - this could be anything from mens yoga, pilates painting doctor or exercise,” she continued.

“After this we also run something called community education which are basically community education initiatives to encourage groups of people - say a women’s group or a mens group - to come in and partake in a course which is completely free of charge” she said.

After hearing all this, I remarked to Susan that it seems that the centre plays a very vital role in the community, not just in Waterville, but beyond as well - and while she did agree, she said that it much more of a symbiotic relationship.

“The centre is open to everyone in the community. It is a community centre as such. It is there because of the community and honestly without it, we wouldn’t function,” she said.

“I think it is central to the area. It is the pulse of the community and that isn’t even me saying that, people have that to us,” she laughed, “it’s a very warm, friendly and welcoming centre.”

She encouraged anyone who has even a just a passing interest in taking an one of their education classes or are even just interested in meeting new people to call in and see what it is on offer.

Even if the topic or class that you are looking for is not on the programme, Susan said that she loves the challenge of setting something new up.

“We try to tailor things to the needs of the individual. I would love people to come in with suggestions for courses and we’ll try and sort it out for them.

If education not your thing, then never fear, as Tech Amergin is also to home to a very strong arts programme which consistently brings great performers and performances to the area.

As if to prove a point, Susan informed me that they have just booked Jon Kenny and Mary McEvoy’s ‘The Matchmaker’ to perform in the centre’s theatre in January of next year.

“We’re hoping that by booking them so early, that people will buy tickets as Christmas presents for friends and family. This promises to be a brilliant night,” she said excitedly.

“We have a wide range on offer in our arts side of things. We have the purpose built theatre of course, we have a mini grand piano which is used regularly by our weekly women’s choir.”

“Event wise, we range from trad, blues, jazz and folk concerts. We have dramas, comedies. Only last week we had the play ‘Hero’ by Ken Rogan which was a wonderful performance,” she continued.

Aside from the exhibitions, a point of particular pride for Susan in her line of work is the budding ‘Culture Cinema’ which is run in conjunction with Access Cinema in Dublin.

Culture Cinema is run at 8pm on the last Thursday of every month and it sees the centre screening a number of art-house films which would normally not make it into mainstream cinemas.

The first Wednesday of every month, an event which is called ‘An Afternoon at the Movies’.

“The numbers are steadily growing and there is a genuine interest out there in the type of films that we are showing. It’s going from strength to strength,” Susan said.

Also on offer at the centre is the centre’s very own community garden which grows vegetables and is run by volunteers in the area.

Anyone looking to get involved in this, call in and enquire.

For a full list of all the upcoming education classes and the all of the arts event coming up in the centre, head over to the centre’s website at www.techamergin.com.