Transition Town Kinsale

Past Events

March 29th, 2008: Transition Town Kinsale & Tidy Towns Kinsale Spring Fair

I can't change climate change in the EU, but in my back garden, I can...We have to start thinking small-we are so used to thinking big about everything...We need to learn that we are stewards for our environment. - Kathy Sinnott MEP

The strength of a couple or a group of individuals working together towards a common goal is far greater than the sum of its parts...TTK is a very positive response to a very urgent, real challenge. There's a level of denial out there regarding oil and the rising prices of food...Kinsale is the leading light, with TTK turning words into action. - Trevor Sargent TD

Kinsale Spring Fair 2008

On Saturday 29th March Transition Town Kinsale and Kinsale Tidy Towns joined forces and held TTK’s second Spring Fair. Whereas last year’s event was located at the College of Further Education, it was decided that this year the fun should be shared with everyone in the town, so public liability insurance obtained, we moved the bulk of the Fair to Short Quay, the Temperance Hall with some events still taking place at the College. The day began with heavy clouds and hard rain, but by the time the first stalls were being set up for the market, the sun had broken through and spirits were lifted.

Spring and sustainability were the main themes, so the eco-market offered a range of stalls selling seeds, books, hemp products, organic and local produce, a bicycle powered smoothie maker and a bicycle powered juke box. At one point during the day a group of people appeared to suddenly start cleaning Short Quay, using dusters, cloths and sweeping brushes. This was a Spring Clean ‘flash mob’, an entertaining way of raising awareness of the themes of the day as well as raising a few eyebrows in the process.

Inside the Temperance Hall was a Fair Trade café, a Powerdown exhibition of posters displaying images and messages about key topics such as transport, food, energy, housing, climate change and peak oil. Transition TV showed film clips about the same issues, with experts giving good advice and words of wisdom on the subjects. Display boards were covered in wonderful posters by the children from St. John’s and St. Joseph’s Primary Schools illustrating the importance of looking after our environment and not throwing our rubbish where it doesn’t belong.

The main event at this venue was the launch of Kinsale & District Community Powerdown by Trevor Sargent, Minister for Food and Horticulture, aided and abetted by the Mayor, Mary Evans and Kathy Sinnott MEP. This TTK initiative is about engaging the community in energy reduction in their homes and businesses over a year. A set of targets will be outlined which the community can undertake, or participants can choose to measure the reduction in their carbon footprint over a year. TTK hope that each participant will actively encourage others to get involved so that the Powerdown will become a community effort. Workshops will be run throughout the year so that the community can learn more about saving energy and reducing emissions that bring about global warming. Watch this space and see below for more information.

A packed Temperance Hall listened to Minister Sargent say how happy he was to be in Kinsale and how he often speaks both nationally and internationally of Kinsale being a forerunner of the Transition process. He went on to praise many of the TTK initiatives, particularly the importance of developing local food production. He gave an interesting statistic that for every 10 units of energy that go into food production we only get 1 unit I return, this being due to fertiliser and pesticide dependent agriculture, transport, processing, packaging, refrigeration etc. Now there’s food for thought (ouch!).

Kathy Sinnott also praised the group’s work and its involvement in trying to find community solutions to the global issues of climate change and energy uncertainty and said that if there was any way she could help, not to hesitate to get in touch. Don’t worry, we will.

The Mayor then presented a book token to Clara McCarthy, whose picture showed how different people dispose of their waste and which had been judged to be the most suitable for the poster for the whole event. Finally, the guest speakers were presented with copies of ‘The Transition Handbook’ by Rob Hopkins (see review below) and thanked for their time and contribution to the event.

Other events of the day included the Tidy Town’s Car Boot Sale at the College carpark which was a huge success. A number of workshops took place on seed sowing, building with hemp, cob and cordwood building and there was a talk by Tricia Kenny from Carbon Action Ireland on ‘How to measure your carbon footprint’. Later in the evening, a concert was held at the magical amphitheatre at the College with a host of local talent playing music and doing comedy improvisations.

The inevitable raffle resulted in prizes galore and the following must be thanked for their generosity in contribution of prizes and support: Bandon and Mahon Tae Kwon-Do Schools of Excellence, Acton’s Leisure Centre, The Hemp Shop, C&C, Kinsale Bookshop, Franceen's Antiques, Muddy Mahers, Fishy Fishy, Dragon Lin, Armada Bar, Thai Cottage, Kinsale Crystal, Barrett's Butchers, Kist, Nouvelle, Kinsale Sports Shop, Shop of Linen, Marina Gallery, Granny’s Bottom Drawer, Pretty Things, Linda's Antiques, Cooleez, All Day Dog Grooming, Heather Mountain, Salvi's Den, Paperworks, Computer Services, Fintan Lynch Salon, New Image, Satin and Lace, Marion's Beauty Salon, House Of Hair, Moloney's Pharmacy, Cobra Tandoori, John Cohalane, Kinsale Lock and Key Services, Foley's, Dal Germeney, Mikeo and the Guy, Hamish and Crawford, Giles Norman, Cork Community Bikes.

A large number of people spent many weeks organising this event, too many to list here (and there’s always that risk of leaving someone out), but we’d like to thank all of you, you know who you are. Roll on next year.

A whole day of events and activities:

• Eco-market - Short Quay 10am - 4pm
• Car Boot Sale – Kinsale Further Education College 10am – 2pm
• Transition TV – Temperance Hall 10am – 4pm
• Fair Trade Cafe - Temperance Hall 10am - 4pm
• Workshops – Further Education College 10am - 5pm
• Craft Demonstrations - Temperance Hall - 10am - 4pm
• Kinsale Community Powerdown Launch by Trevor Sargent TD – Temperance Hall 2pm
• Street Entertainment
• Evening Concert with music, comedy, drama at

the Further Education College Amphitheatre 7.30pm – 10.30pm

Stalls at the eco-market included:

• Transition Town Kinsale - copies of Rob Hopkins' 'The Transition Handbook' on sale
• Walnut Books
• The Hollies
• The Hemp Store
• Organic Food and snacks
• Kinsale Food Co-op
• Eco-Cleaners
• Solar Panels
• Brown Envelope Seeds
• Gubeen Farmhouse Products

Workshops:

• Cob and cordwood building 3pm
• Food growing an seed sowing 12pm
• Composting and wormeries 4pm
• Permaculture TBC 11am

Feedback from the public...

Some fabulous ideas from people who were asked to add their ideas to a flip chart with the heading:

My positive vision for what I’d like to see happen in Kinsale is...

• Open a sustainability resource centre
• Expand recycling centre – electrical goods and garden waste
• Better parking facilities
• A car free town centre
• An outlet in town for refilling ecological cleaning produce (closest place is Bandon)
• Those who are very involved in Transition town Kinsale could make public a list of things to do for those who are less involved at present but who would like to do something
• A monthly swap your garbage – bring your wares to the square to swap
• Local compost in rose garden – we need somewhere to compost
• Public transport linking Bandon
• LED street- lightening
• Dog waste bins (poop-a-scoop)
• Creation of a social centre
• Eco/wildlife playground 9made form recycled materials
• No Cars
• More planting in town
• Bike lanes
• No School – more fun (Eva & Sorcha) translate to more interactive learning!

January 12, 2008

John Gormley took time out from a busy schedule to meet with TTK and Fairtrade Kinsale. He congratulated TTK on their efforts.

Speaking about tackling the issue of sewage in Kinsale and Bantry, he highlighted the need to find a balance of power between executive powers, elected representatives and local government, and referred to the green paper addressing these issues.

He concluded the talk by saying he was looking forward to a busy time in office- but a busy time of radical reform in local government.

Past TTK events 2007