National Rural Development Conference 2008

Embracing Change

Date: Friday 22, February 2008

Venue: Clayton Hotel, Galway

Teagasc Rural Economy Research Centre and Teagasc Rural Development Unit will host a major conference on rural development, entitled ‘Embracing Change’. The conference will be held in the Clayton Hotel, Galway City on Friday, 22 February 2008.

The expert panel of speakers, drawn from Teagasc and other organisations, will outline how they are promting rural development through their responses to and understanding of the diverse economic, social and policy changes that are impacting rural areas.

The core theme areas of the conference are: key drivers of rural change and Teagasc’s response; investigating change through research; how Teagasc and other stakeholders are responding to change with advice, training and support; future rural development challenges; and critical issues for rural communities.

A key feature of the conference will be an open questions and answers session with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D.

This major conference is of interest to a wide range of rural development practitioners, representatives of rural interest groups, as well as representatives from rural development agencies, and policy makers.

9.30 Registration
10.00 Opening Address
Professor Gerry Boyle, Teagasc Director

10.15 Session I Changing Rural Ireland

Chair: Department of Community,Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Teagasc rural development research
Cathal O’Donoghue,
Head, Teagasc Rural Economy Research Centre (RERC)
Teagasc advisory service in a new era
Gerry Scully, Programme Manager,
Teagasc Rural Development

10.45 Session II Investigating Change

Chair: Perpetua McDonagh, CEO, Offaly LEADER

Demographic, population and settlement trends
David Meredith, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc
Innovation and rural development
Kevin Heanue, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc
Barriers to change: a sociology of rural development
Aine Macken Walsh, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc
Walking and rural tourism
Cathal Buckley, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc
Off-farm employment in rural areas
Mark O’Brien, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc

12.00 Session III: Responding to Change

Chair: Aine Macken Walsh, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc

Stimulating entrepreneurship
Paul McCarthy, Teagasc Small Business Planning Officer
Supporting communities
Aileen Gilchrist, Liaison Officer, Pobal
The evolution of LEADER
Paul Keating, Project Manager, ILSU Tipperary Institute
FÁS and the labour market
Tony Barrett, Regional Director, FÁS West Region

13.00: Lunch

14.00: Session IV Rural Development Challenges

Chair: David Meredith, Research Officer, RERC, Teagasc

Regional development strategy
Pat O’Hara, Manager, Policy Division Western
Development Commission
Key issues for rural communities
Seamus Boland, CEO, Irish Rural Link
Axis 3 and 4 of rural development programme
Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

15.30 Questions and answers

Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D., Minister for Community,
Rural andGaeltacht Affairs
16.00 Close of conference

How to book

We regret that registration for this conference has closed as full capacity has been reached.

For more details contact:

Marian Moloney
Teagasc
Mellows Campus
Athenry
County Galway
tel: 091 845863
email: marian.moloney@teagasc.ie