Director's Welcome
In December, I took on the exciting challenge of Country Director for the British Council in Ireland. I am thrilled to be in post and am really looking forward to working with the team in Ireland to nurture and develop UK and Irish cultural relations in arts and education (higher education, youth and skills).
The British Council established the Irish office in 1989-1990 and since this time, has reached many individuals through a significant number of initiatives, projects and collaborations. These have included local collaborations with Dublin City of Culture 1990; working North South with the British Council Northern Ireland team on the very first exhibition from the collections of Arts Council NI and the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, as well as a joint pavilion at the Venice Biennale with artists Willie Doherty and Gerard Byrne; working trilaterally with politicians, pundits and peacemakers from Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland in the thought provoking and insightful Lives Entwined series; the long-running FameLab science communication programme which has spanned 9 years here in Ireland; the OPENCities pan European project which helped cities become more open and competitive,
and the important Transatlantic Networks project which worked to strengthen ties between Europe and North America through the creation of a sustainable network of young leaders.
Currently, the British Council is going through a period of unprecedented change and transformation. Worldwide, we have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and the organisation is under pressure on many fronts. This means we need to find new ways of working, of collaborating, and consolidating, to ensure we continue to build on the important and significant legacy of the British Council worldwide but also here in Ireland. Our key pillars are focussed on cultural engagement in arts and education (higher education, youth and skills) and we will continue to focus our work in these areas: developing, strengthening and amplifying experiences and opportunities in order to build understanding and trust between people and countries. We believe in people-to-people relationships, working in partnership, brokering and furthering networks for mutual benefit, learning and exchange. And so, with
over thirty years in Ireland, and in the context of the UK leaving the EU, COVID-19 and increasingly scarce funds across many sectors, there has never been a more important time to nurture and develop these relationships, build cultural connections and possibilities so that we can drive change and create opportunities for all our communities.
This newsletter captures only a few of the wonderful projects that British Council Ireland has been involved in over the last year. Below you will find information on Active Citizens: Social action for climate change – our collaboration with Co-operation Ireland which engaged several thousand individuals, led by inspiring young leaders across the island of Ireland, in a range of innovative and entertaining climate action initiatives in the run up to the international environmental conference, COP26; the inspiring international science competition science, FameLab which sadly came to an end after a 9 year run; the 39th EVA International exhibition; Selector Radio which shares the best of UK music with over 4 million listeners worldwide; the ground-breaking, Time to Act report recently launched by the world’s largest arts and disability programme Europe Beyond Access, and a free online
event, StudyUK, that helps those interested in studying in the UK to source information on courses, fees, visas, health insurance and much more.
Fheiceann tú síos an bóthar,
Kerry
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