TEDxFulbright Takes Place in Dublin 6 February
Press Release
For Immediate Release
TEDxFulbright Takes Place in Dublin
Old Myths and New Realities 100 years on from the Proclamation of Irish Independence
Speakers Share Ideas on Sustainability and the Power of Story
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016: To mark the 1916 centenary year, TEDxFulbrightDublin 2016 examines what we can learn from our past, embrace in our present and look to in our future in a sustainable manner.
Taking place Saturday 6th February in Smock Alley Theatre Dublin with the theme of “Old Myths and New Realities”, this will be the second ever TEDxFulbright to take place in Ireland. Hosted by the Fulbright Commission, speakers and performers from Ireland and the United States will share their “ideas worth spreading.”
TED, which started in 1984 as a conference on Technology, Entertainment, and Design, seeks to share good ideas on all topics through short, but contagious, talks. TEDx is the platform for local organizers to create their own TED-style event.
TEDxFulbrightDublin was conceived and led by Dr Lorcan Walsh – a Fulbright Alumnus who went to Harvard University, to reconnect with the wider Fulbright community and reach out to others who want to share creative new ideas. Speaking about TEDxFulbrightDublin, Walsh said, “The level of interest has exploded this year! We have a host of impressive speakers and I am delighted that so many people are eager to hear their ideas.”
On 6th February TEDxFulbrightDublin will set the stage for a number of innovative and captivating speakers, including Ruairí McKiernan – Fulbright Alumnus, social innovator, writer, and Presidential appointee to Ireland’s Council of State. McKiernan said “The TED talks model offers a great platform to share ideas at events, but also online, with the potential to reach millions globally. I’m honoured to have been asked to speak and look forward to putting forward some views on the big themes of community, people power and hope for humanity.”
Dr Dara FitzGerald, Fulbright Commission Executive Director said, “I am over the moon with the accelerated level of interest in TEDxFulbrightDublin. TEDx and Fulbright are really an ideal partnership. We can all look forward to the continued conversations, ideas and collaborations that will undoubtedly arise from this event.”
US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley will be in attendance on 6th February, he said, “I am delighted that the U.S. Embassy in Ireland has partnered once again with Fulbright in support of this TEDx event, which represents the breadth of Fulbright expertise in science, tech, humanities, the arts, and social issues. As our policy-makers build on what was achieved at COP 21 in Paris, it is especially fitting that so many of the presentations should focus on sustainability.”
Eirgrid representative Rosemary Steen said “Eirgrid is delighted to sponsor such an interesting event. We are particularly interested in hearing leaders in their field discussing sustainability across all walks of life including climate change, health and lifestyle.”
The full schedule of talks and performances, which will be online shortly after the event at www.tedxfulbrightdublin.ie, is as follows:
*Marguerite Nyhan How sensors and data are transforming urban life
Patrick Paul Walsh UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
*Triona McGrath Ocean acidification – the evil twin of climate change
Ciarán Pollard How Nature Is On Our Side
*Gillian Murphy Our Memory Myth
*Ruairí McKiernan How Hitchhiking Gave Me Hope for Humanity
Grainne McKeever She who Laughs Last
Ye Vagabonds Music
Dympna Casey & Kathleen Murphy Fighting ageing with the help of companion robots
Monika Zawadzka Your senses, to trust or not to trust?
*Finbarr Murphy Driverless Cars – The Road Ahead
Ciarán McMahon The death of the mind – and what comes next?
*Teresa Lynn How social media breathes life into minority languages
*Alexander MacDonald Oral Tradition in the Age of Smart Phones
Daniel Ramamoorthy Resident Alien
* Fulbright Alumni
Tickets for this event sold out in a matter of minutes, demonstrating that TEDxFulbrightDublin has grown immensely in popularity since the first event was held at Smock Alley Theatre in 2014.
TEDxFulbrightDublin 2016 is generously supported by Eirgrid, the US Embassy, the Irish Research Council, the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Irish Fulbright Alumni Association. For more information, please see: www.tedxfulbrightdublin.ie or follow the conversation on Twitter #TEDxFD.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Emma Loughney
Communications Manager, Fulbright Commission of Ireland & Co-organizer of TEDxFulbrightDublin
Emma.loughney@fulbright.ie 01.230.9801 / 087.665.4535
@Fulbright_Eire
@TEDxFulbright
Photos from Conor McCabe Photography (of TEDxFulbright 2014)
info@conormccabe.ie / 085.705.7255
Notes to Editor:
*Ambassador O’Malley is available for interview on 6th February
*TEDxFD Organisers and Speakers will be available for interview before, during and after the event
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California in 1984, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.
At a TED conference, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende, and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix, and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. Selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.
For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration.
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.
About the Fulbright Commission
The Fulbright Commission presents grants on an annual basis to Irish students, scholars, and professionals to undertake postgraduate study and research at higher education, cultural, and related institutions in the United States, and for Americans to do the same in Ireland. For more information please see www.fulbright.ie.