It isn’t every day that a small west Kerry-based community like Maharees gets awarded a significant national project like the Creative Ireland Ignite project (Neart Na Machairí). It’s testament to the trojan efforts the Maharees community has made to date to work with state agencies, the local authority, academics and NGOs to address climate change impacts felt by the community. This creative climate action project will build on this work and also that of the Dingle Hub who have been leading meaningful climate action on the Dingle Peninsula over the last decade.

The project aims to explore questions of long-range climate change adaptation, the challenges and opportunities; how the community can ready itself for the changes and impacts to come on Maharees and ultimately become resilient.  In partnership with Maharees Conservation Association, Dingle Hub and the community of Maharees, Neart na Machairí will bring ten community members on a learning journey to explore the challenges and opportunities in climate adaptation, alongside three creative practitioners, Emer Fallon, Silke Michels and Zoë Uí Fhaoláin Green, and project designer Zoë Rush, whose roles are to facilitate a creative and collaborative exploration of the future of Maharees in relation to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“This project takes as its starting point that coastal resilience requires an integrated approach, drawing from deep place-based knowledge of these habitats and the customs and traditions of people who live within them as well as expert guidance and collaboration with state agencies to support and incorporate community visions of change within strategic and financial planning.” Neart na Machairí Project Designer, Zoë Rush.

Maharees Conservation Association Chair, Aidan O’Connor said: “We have seen what we can achieve as a community when we have the knowledge and support of our stakeholders – we want to take that a step further now. Everyone talks about Maharees being impacted by climate change and sea level rise more than other places but we know there are solutions out there and adaptations we can make to be as resilient as we can going forward.”

Neart na Machairí is a creative climate action project funded through Creative Ireland, facilitated through a partnership between Maharees Conservation Association and Dingle Hub and three embedded artists, Zoë Uí Fhaoláin Green, Emer Fallon and Silke Michels and by project designer, Zoë Rush