International flavour to upcoming Iveragh festival
THIS year marks the 27th edition of the bilingual Éigse na Brídeoige festival in and around the south Kerry Gaeltacht of Uíbh Ráthach, and four residents originally from England, Germany, Guinea, and Poland will highlight the case for inward migration as one means of tackling the region’s depopulation.
The long-running festival takes place in 2019 from February 1 to 3, and depopulation will be a major focus of this year’s edition. Among the many events at on this theme will be an open forum at the Sea Lodge Hotel, Waterville, from 2.45pm next Saturday, February 2. Journalist Sorcha Pollak will chair, while UCC academic and migration expert Piaras Mac Einrí, Dr Brendan O’Keeffe, and a strong international contingent now settled in Iveragh will also be present.
This contingent will consist of Englishwoman Kim Elliott, who moved to Waterville to set up a business selling organic vegetables; Michael Herrmann, whose German family has settled in Ballinskelligs and Valentia; Polish national Kasia Gwis, who runs a bakery with her husband in Cahersiveen; and Samuel Camara, a Guinean national who is now a member of Valentia’s Tidy Towns Committee. Chef John Casey – who returned to Ballinskelligs with his family after his hugely successful career brought him to Barbados, the UK, and the USA – will also be present.
This year’s theme follows research by Dr O’Keeffe which showed Uíbh Ráthach’s population has dropped by more than 40 per cent since 1956.
The festival will have its official opening this Friday, February 1, by Minister Seán Kyne from 7.30pm in Caherdaniel’s Community Hall. For further information on the events that will take place in and around the Gaeltacht region, visit www. eigsenabrideoige.com; phone Fíona de Buis at 087 2931463; or phone Comhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh at 066 9474888.