Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis
Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis is the main coastal settlement on the Dingle / Corca Dhuibhne Peninsula, one of Europe’s most westerly peninsulas. Our peninsula has a population of 12,500, of whom 3,500 live in Dingle (and environs). Our peninsula’s stunning landscapes, calendar of festivals, strong cultural heritage and distinctive identity, combined with our internationally renowned reputation as a place of welcome and hospitality have been drawing visitors to the area for generations. Tourism is thus the mainstay of our local economy, with agriculture and the marine also playing important roles in our area’s economic, social and cultural lives. Most of our peninsula is also a designated Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area). Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis is the main service centre for our peninsula’s many rural communities, all of which have their own local identities and dynamics.
The Dingle Peninsula has long grappled with the effects of peripherality, isolation and the out-migration of our young people. Challenges persist, but communities across our peninsula are at the forefront of innovation. Social capital is strong, and our citizens are effectively combining local knowledge and skills with technical know-how and creative technologies. We are fostering new economic opportunities, and are working to make our peninsula energy independent and resilient. Led by our Local Development Company (NEWKD), communities on our peninsula have pursued a strong evidence-based approach to Smart Villages, and emphasise inter-community collaboration and strong local governance.
Village strategy :News
Dingle welcomes Ukrainian refugees
During the past two weeks, two of the nine Dingle peninsula villages have welcomed some 72 Ukrainian refugees. A local response team of various state, community and voluntary groups was pulled together to identify various ways of supporting the new guests, including medical and health, social welfare, school education and English language assessment, as well as catering clothing and footwear needs.
NEWKD, the local development company which supports a wide range of community initiatives in the North East and Western areas of County Kerry, has been instrumental in this effort. Those involved have been overwhelmed by offers of support from the community … delivery of clothing and bikes, books and toys and money vouchers for local shops for the guests. The community is attempting to harness the many offers of items and volunteerism presented, and to ensure safety, security, basic services and opportunities for all in order to create a more inclusive society.
A sustainable regional food branding Strategy for the Dingle Peninsula
Dingle is about to conclude a one-year training programme on the branding of products from sustainable farming, fishing and food production in the region. The programme will close with a final event on 24 May 2022, reflecting on its achievements such as the peninsula’s first ever Food Network bringing together actors all along the food chain, its brand development and emerging Strategy.
The training programme brought together farmers, fishers, artisan and micro producers, chefs, hospitality providers, retailers and tour guides. It was jointly implemented by NEWKD, the local development company responsible for LEADER 2014-2020, and the Discovery Partnership, an HR consulting and coaching company.
Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub – more than a shared workspace
Discover the Dingle Hub offering workspace with high-speed connectivity and co-working facilities to individuals, enterprises and community sectors on the Dingle Peninsula. The Hub addresses the challenge of Dingle’s remoteness by not only providing workspace, but also supporting collaborative projects in the broad area of the transition to a low-carbon society to attract high-skilled employment, improve and develop skills and develop entrepreneurship.
This project support includes a number of test and trial networks for Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, bioenergy projects and the ESB Networks Dingle Project and involves working closely with the local community, state agencies, public bodies and higher education institutes.
Dingle gears up citizen science for a low-carbon future
Discover how Dingle uses the power of citizen science to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% in just under 10 years. Director of the MaREI Research Centre at University College Cork, Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, meets participants of DINGLE PENINSULA 2030, a project that aims to make the region self-sustainable in energy by 2030. He visits schools, farms and the local enterprise centre to see citizen science at work.
The work done by the project was highlighted by a documentary series showcasing the remarkable and lasting public impact of leading research projects by eight Irish universities. The series was co-produced by the Irish Universities Association, RTÉ and New Decade TV.
Dingle gains recognition at the .IE Digital Town Awards
The Dingle Peninsula was elected the overall winner of the 2021 edition of the .IE Digital Town Awards – a competition dedicated to addressing digital enhancement and adoption in Ireland.
The town was chosen from the five town category winners as overall winner, in addition to winning in the ‘small town’ category. Dingle was recognised for its efforts in promoting innovation and imagining new ways of doing things through digital, such as its pilot project to increase sustainability and productivity by collecting ‘real-time’ data using sensor technology.
A sustainable Dingle Peninsula
Discover the DINGLE PENINSULA 2030, a multi-partner initiative working on projects related to the sustainable management of energy, agriculture, water, transport, and tourism. The overall aim is to transition the Dingle Peninsula into a low-carbon society.
The initiative works for a more environmentally and economically sustainable future on the Peninsula – they have estimated that by reducing energy demands and using local renewable resources, they could save the Peninsula as much as € 8 million.
Dingle transitioning towards a low-carbon future
Dingle explores energy efficiency measures on the journey towards a low-carbon future through the ESB Networks project involving five local ambassadors testing out a range of low-carbon technologies and sharing their experiences with the wider Dingle community.
The aim is to inform how customers can use and engage with new low-carbon and smart grid technologies and the impacts on the distribution system. Discover the ESB Networks Dingle project and watch a short video about it.
Smart Rural Journey
Follow along with our Village Roadmap here :
The smart action has aimed to contribute towards establishing a community-led and smart retirement villages in Dingle / Corca Dhuibhne in which older people can live independently and can access a range of social, medical and ancillary services. SR21 partner empirica (Germany) helped providing the framework for planning health-care services locally, with the potential use and usefulness of digital tools (ambition focusing).
Step 1/5 : Setting the framework
empirica provided the village with a methodology for the co-development of digital services with local stakeholders , augmented by a first scoping paper outlining different types of digital technologies that are principally available today for supporting older people living in the community
Step 2/5 : Consolidation meeting with core team
A meeting was held with the core team of the village to elaborate a consolidated view on how digital technologies might best be harnessed to put the vision of a community-led retirement village into practice within the locally prevailing framework conditions. empirica presented earlier experiences gained with the development of digital solutions in comparable local contexts. It became apparent that the initial vision of a retirement village needed to be further fleshed out with the involvement of relevant stakeholders from the local community before the joint development of appropriate digital solutions should be undertaken.
Step 3/5 : 1st Stakeholder Meeting
A wide range of stakeholders involved in supporting older people on the Dingle Peninsula were identified and brought together in a joint meeting, be they volunteers or professional care providers. As an input to a joint discussion, empirica presented a general overview of benefits potentially provided by digital care solutions and experiences gained elsewhere with their practical application under day-to-day conditions. The subsequent discussion revealed that that the concrete ideas of individual stakeholders on how older people should and could best be supported through the retirement village concept were sometimes far apart. Accordingly, the ideas about any digital tools which might best be harnessed for these purposes also differed.
Step 4/5 : 2nd Stakeholder Meeting
A further stakeholder meeting was held to consolidate the outcomes of the previous one. During this discussion, a consensus emerged that the possible use of digital solutions should complement existing voluntary and professional support services in a meaningful way. It also emerged that the financial and human resources available for the acquisition or development of suitable digital tools are limited. As a result, it was agreed that it would make sense to first gain experience with the use of a low-tech solution, for example by setting up a volunteer morning call service that counteracts the risk of loneliness among senior citizens living alone.
Step 5/5 : Outlook
As a next step, the local stakeholders need to critically reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the hitherto envisaged digital approach from a practical point of view. When doing so, aspects that might make it difficult or perhaps even impossible to put their vision into practice should receive particular attention. For example, do we have enough volunteer supporters to be able to offer a digitally supported call scheme on a permanent basis. How can we secure their commitment in the longer term? What financial costs will be involved, e.g. telephone costs, and who will bear them? These and similar questions should be critically reflected upon. If all relevant questions can be answered satisfactorily, an operational plan needs to be agreed that sets out how the envisaged morning call scheme is to be put into practice. Such an implementation plan should assign clear responsibilities and include a timetable that clearly shows which stakeholder needs to do what and by when.
Videos
ESB Networks Dingle project
The project aims to inform customers on how they can use and engage with new low-carbon and smart grid technologies, as well as the impacts on the distribution system. To achieve this, it has recruited five local ambassadors to test out a range of low-carbon technologies and share their experiences with the wider Dingle community.
Meet the Dingle change-makers
Brian Ó Gallachóir is the Director of the MaREI Centre at University College Cork which is leading the research of the DINGLE PENINSULA 2030 project aiming to transition the area into a zero-emission region in just under a decade. The project is a partnership of four different groups bringing together research, technology, community development and a focus on rural development working to support the community in Dingle on their journey towards a low-carbon future.
Resources :
Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúi
An initiative for a more environmentally and economically sustainable future on the Dingle Peninsula. The goal is to transition the peninsula into a low-carbon society. This is important for the health of the planet, and to plan for future environmental changes and regulations. By reducing energy demands and using local renewable resources, the initiative could save the peninsula as much as € 8 million.
Language : English
Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúi ( 2019 )
A short film about Dingle’s ESB Networks project. In its famework, five local ambassadors were selected to explore energy efficiency measures on the journey towards a low-carbon future. Each ambassador received a range of low-carbon technologies, including an Electric Vehicle Chargepoint, Air Source Heat Pump, Rooftop Solar PV, Controllable Immersion, Smart Circuit Breaker, Smart Meter, Battery Storage System and a Smart Living Gateway (IoT Hub in Home). Each ambassador is exploring these new technologies and sharing their experiences with the wider Dingle community and in doing so help inform as to how customers use and engage with new low-carbon and smart grid technologies and the impacts on the distribution system
Language : English
