Tech Feile showcase and awards event to take place at Shannon Airport

Tech Feile:Pictured launching the event at Shannon Airport were Jen Hesnan (front left), National Tech Space Programme Manager CAMARA and Rachael Leahy (front right) Shannon Group Company Secretary and Head of Legal.Picture: Arthur Ellis.

Tech Feile showcase and awards event to take place at Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport will become the showcase on March 4th for some of the country’s top young digital media, music and 3D Design talent as well as a world record attempt when some 400 students gather for the fourth annual Camara Ireland’s Tech Feile.

Pictured launching the event at Shannon Airport were Rachael Leahy, Shannon Group Company Secretary and Head of Legal with Séamus Ó Fátharta, Clár TechSpace Coordinator, Camara and 2 year old Ceoladh O’Sullivan from Tralee Co Kerry with her brother Debhinn (4) checking out cool mini robots .Picture: Arthur Ellis.

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Ireland’s largest Irish language tech event, Tech Féile showcases young people’s achievements in inventive Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM). Activities will see students exhibit their work and take part in interactive workshops as well as being inspired by guest speakers and live performances. 

Revealing details of the event, Séamus Ó Fátharta, Clár TechSpace Coordinator, Camara Education Ireland said: “Camara Ireland are delighted to be holding the biggest-ever technology event as Gaeilge in Shannon Airport. An initiative of the national TechSpace programme, Tech Féile is going from strength to strength and all due to the passionate educators and young people driving it forward. The programme wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and the Science Foundation Ireland. Special thanks to Shannon Airport for hosting and sponsoring the event.”  

The line-up this year includes Micheál O’Ciaraigh from TG4 and SPIN South West presenter Louise Cantillon. Across the day there will be 35 workshops offering the students the opportunity to learn first-hand from creative industries representatives who will be present on the day.

TG4 will host a weather workshop complete with green screen, Shannon Airport will host an aviation workshop, Radio Rí Rá will offer students a hands-on approach to podcast creation.

One of the fun points of the Tech Féile day will an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest buzz wire! A buzz wire is a steady hand game that is well known to many as a tabletop amusement. Measuring over 17 metres long, the giant buzz kit is currently under construction and will feature as a center-piece at Tech Féile.

Speaking about the event Tech Féile funder Bríd Breathnach from the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht said; “We are thrilled that the fourth Tech Féile event will take place in Shannon Airport this year and thank the Shannon Group company for their help in hosting Tech Féile as a sponsor. Tech Féile has grown year-on-year. With 400 young people registered to attend this will be our largest event ever.”

Speaking ahead of the festival, Tech Féile funder ‘Science Foundation Ireland’ representative Cathy Foley, Senior Executive, Education and Public Engagement said: “This event is a creative and innovative way to engage and inspire young people from the Gaeltacht regions to learn more about STEM and the applications of STEM in real life from social media and digital media to music to saving lives and detecting crime. Tech Féile is part of the STEM as Gaeilge agus Cant project, the largest funded project to date under the SFI Discover Programme. I look forward to seeing the students work exhibited and I might even have a go on the 17-metre buzz wire!”

Kindly hosting Tech Féile on the day, Shannon Airport provides an inspirational location, offering students a chance to see first-hand the benefits of STEAM in a professional setting and the many career opportunities in this field. 

Welcoming the event Rachael Leahy, Shannon Group, who is taking part in the event said: “We are rooting in our community and as such we are delighted to make the airport available for an event which celebrates the creative talents of young people in the STEAM and digital media space. We are looking forward to the fun and excitement on the day.”

About the Clár TechSpace Programme

The Clár TechSpace Programme, managed by Camara Education Ireland, provides education through a large number of consortium members by training and supporting youth workers and Gaelscoil teachers to ensure young people have access to non-formal youth-led creative spaces for technology education. Clár TechSpace is based on a world-renowned pedagogy from the Media Lab in Boston’s MIT. It is founded on the idea that we learn best when we are actively engaged in exploring, experimenting, and expressing ourselves. Currently, in over 65 locations, youth organisations and Gaelscoils are supported to empower young people to collaborate in a youth-led creative atmosphere at a local setting such as a youth cafe, a community centre or classroom. This opens them to a world of community, connection, understanding and tolerance.

About Camara

Camara Education is a non-profit international education organisation dedicated to deliver real impact through technology and to inspire and empower a young generation to improve life opportunities. Our vision is a world-class technology-enabled education accessible to all. Our mission is to transform education using technology to empower disadvantaged students.

Those who engage with Camara subscribe to the following beliefs: Poverty is unacceptable in the 21st century. Education is the key to alleviating poverty. Technology has the ability to radically improve education. Since 2005, Camara has enabled over two million young people to achieve better educational outcomes and thus improve their life opportunities, through training 26,000+ teachers across 5,300 schools and educational institutes and installing 90,000+ ICT devices. A full schedule of activity can be viewed on the Creative Tech Fest website.

For more information on Tech Feile please click here.

For more stories on technology in Limerick please click here.