Discussion aplenty on Iveragh emigration

MINISTER SEÁN KYNE TO OPEN ÉIGSE NA BRÍDEOIGE FESTIVAL NEXT MONTH

THE bilingual Éigse na Brídeoige in, based and around South Kerry’s Uibh Ráthach Gaeltacht, will this year drill into the topics of emigration and migration in the region.

Since this portion of the Iveragh Peninsula was designated Gaeltacht status in the 1956, research by Dr Brendan O’Keeffe found its population has fallen by more than 40 per cent.

This is in stark contrast with a near-20-per-cent increase in population across all Gaeltacht regions in Ireland within that time frame.

The study also found that one third of Iveragh’s townlands are uninhabited, and the Gaeltacht contains 1,800 unoccupied houses.

In this the 27th year of the festival, the topic will be to the forefront.

The festival will be opened on Febrary 1 in Caherdaniel Community Hall by Minister of State for Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht and Islands Seán Kyne, and organisers hope to see the minister implement the Action Plan of the Iveragh Task Force.

The taskfore was established by Minister Kyne in 2017, and the plan – led by Údarás na Gaeltachta – has recently been completed after collaboration between national and local agencies.

The plan has been focussed on, amongst other things, capitalising on the region’s rural tourism and recreation; fostering culture and creativity, and supporting sustainable communities, enterprise and employment.

At a December meeting, the taskforce’s member organisations adopted the plan on the condition they would receive funds to put a project manager in place.

“The group has spent the last year developing a three-year action plan, comprising more than 130 individual actions, all of which are aligned with the relevant local, regional and national policies,” Fiona de Buis told The Kerryman

“They believe that without funding the action plan has little chance of success, and without the implementation of the action plan, the population of Iveragh will be facing further decline and a very uncertain future,”she added.

A report on the taskforce will be outlined on the night.

Among the events that follow this theme will be a talk in Ionad na Dromoda at 10am, February 2, by University College Cork’s Ray O’Connor, Carol Power and Piaras Mac Einrí on ‘Rural Decline and Population Change in Ireland: Iveragh in Context’; as well as a 2.45pm open forum at Waterville’s Sea Lodge Hotel on the role of immigration in addressing Iveragh’s depopulation.

Also among events will be a 10pm singing session at ‘The Blind Piper’ in Caherdaniel at 10pm on February 1; the festival’s concert in the Sea Lodge at 8pm the next night, followed by music; and much more besides.

The festival takes in Ballinskelligs, Caherdaniel, Dromid, Waterville, and The Glen, and opens in An Halla Pobal in Ballinskelligs with an 11.30am screening of ‘The Screening of Kells’ for children.

Events at the festival are carried out bilingually.

Further information is available from Fiona de Buis at (087) 293 1463 and at the festival’s website, www.eigsenabrideoige.com.