An Environmental Round Table.

Climate Change and Taking Action.

A puffin on Sceilig Mhichíl. Photo: John Barimo.

Moderator: John Barimo.

Panellists: Niamh Guiry, Claudia Hihetah, Dearbhla Richardson.

Friday 26th July 2024 at 2.30pm at the Maldron Hotel 

Climate Change is the issue of our time, failure to take action on a governmental and individual scale will result in the gradual destruction of our entire planet. In what way will climate change affect Ireland? At best it will have a significant impact on environment and nature and some cities on our coast, at worst it will impact virtually everything we take for granted socially, economically and politically and how we live day to day.  Come and hear what the young activists have to say about the current progress to prevent these impacts of climate change from taking place.

Dearbhla Richardson.

“Dearbhla Richardson is a 23 year old climate justice activist from Cobh, Co. Cork. She is a recent graduate of the BSc International Development Programme in University College Cork. She has just recently finished up her term as Concern Worldwide’s Youth Climate Ambassador and is currently working on a campaign with other Irish Youth calling on the Irish Government to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Dearbhla Richardson

Claudia Hihetah.

Claudia Hihetah, a PhD researcher at MaREI hosted at University College Cork. Claudia’s research focuses on investigating the lived experiences of energy poverty in order to advance solutions to this problem. Her PhD focuses on “Developing effective policy responses to address energy poverty and increase energy justice.  The 11-strong UCC group includes 30-year-old Claudia Hihetah from Ghana.  Claudia has spent four days at COP. with a UCC delegation.

“There’s a huge appetite for climate action but, then again, there is a huge sense of scepticism as to the outcomes or success of this year’s climate talks,” she said. “My hope for COP is for leaders to put people at the heart of the decision making, at the heart of climate action, and at the heart of a just energy transition.”

Claudia Hihetah,

Niamh Guiry.

 Niamh Guiry is a second-year EPA-IRC PhD scholar at the School of Law, University College Cork. Her research explores the interrelationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global environmental governance, and evolving patterns of international law-making. Niamh is an environmental activist and has a keen interest in biodiversity protection, climate justice, and environmental education.

Niamh Guiry

Moderator: John Barimo.

John Barimo takes action at UCC through SDSN Ireland, an all-island network of universities and NGOs addressing issue of sustainability and climate instability.  He’s a coastal ecologist who who thrives in engaging across academia and the wider society both locally and globally.  John’s also an early stage climate migrant who’s returned from the diaspora to find a vibrant life in Ireland. John is a long standing member of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.

John Barimo

The Environmental Round Table “Climate Change and Taking Action” discussion takes place in the Maldron Hotel, Shandon on Friday afternoon, commencing at 2:30 pm. All are welcome.

Cork Chilean Community Remembers Victor Jara (1932-73).

The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival continued in Shandon on Friday, all speakers were excellent. Again, we had some packed attendances and we had great performances from Jimmy Crowley, Eve Telford, Johnny Nyhan, William Hammond, and members of the Chilean community in Cork.

Cork Chilean Community Remember Victor Jara.
William Hammond, Jimmy Crowley, Eve Telford and Richard T. Cooke.
Mary Crilly and Angela Flynn of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
Niamh Guiry, speaker with John Barimo, Cork Mother Jones Committee.
Eoghan Daltun.
Large Attendances at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Sharon and James Goltz, all the way from Mt. Olive, the resting place of Mother Jones.

Festival Programme Friday 28th July 2023

10:30 a.m.     Niamh Guiry.

11:30 a.m.     Eoghan Daltun.

1:00 p.m.       Jimmy Crowley & Eve Telford.

2:30 p.m.       A Sense of Wonder (Rachel Carson) 

4:15 p.m.       Mother Jones and Her Children.

5: 15 p.m.     Mother Jones: America’s Most Dangerous Woman.

7:00 p.m.      Mary Crilly  (at Dance Cork Firkin Crane)

9:00 p.m.      Tribute to Victor Jara.

9:30 p.m.      Songs of Protest: The Folk Music Revival.

What had the Brehon Laws to say about the Environment?

As part of the ongoing debate relating to the climate change taking place (one we feel would have been embraced by Mother Jones, especially in view of her fight against the exploitation of labour by unregulated capitalism, which now in turn exploits the environment), we welcome Niamh Guiry who will discuss how insights from Ireland’s ancient past might assist Ireland developing a sustainable path to resolving its environmental issues. 

Niamh Guiry will speak at the Maldron Hotel Shandon on Friday morning 28th July at 10.30 am Conservation Insights from Brehon Law: Exploring Ireland’s Ancient Tree Considerations.

Niamh Guiry.

Many ancient cultures seemed to embody a multi-dimensional understanding of their local environment, recognising the practical benefits of healthy ecosystems as well as their more-than-human qualities. 

Delving into Ireland’s past, we find a legacy of environmental considerations, reflected in the legal, social, and cultural value the people of early Irish society bestowed upon trees. Exploring the Old-Irish tree list found in Bretha Comaithchesa (Judgements of Neighbourhood) of Brehon law, mythological stories, and the spiritual practices of the time, this talk discusses how we could use insights from Ireland’s ancient environmental considerations to strengthen our approach to conservation.

Niamh Guiry is a climate activist and PhD Researcher at the School of Law, University College Cork. Her PhD research explores the interrelationship between the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, global environmental governance, and evolving patterns of international law-making. 

A member of Not Here Not Anywhere, a grassroots organisation campaigning to end fossil fuel exploration and the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure in Ireland, Niamh has a keen interest in biodiversity protection, climate justice, and environmental communication.