Stellar line-up of speakers for Inspiring Sustainable Tourism Conference in west Clare

Organised by the Sustainable Tourism Network, the country’s leading and longest-running sustainability training company for the tourism industry, this year’s event boasts a hugely impressive group of experts, industry professionals and leaders from the field.

READ ALSO: Lidl looks to expand in Clare as permission is sought to build new store

The list of speakers and guests at the upcoming conference includes. 

A true trailblazer over many decades on the Irish culinary, sustainability and organic scene, Darina Allen co-founded the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983.

More recently, she set up the Ballymaloe Organic Farm School. Located in East Cork, students flock from all over the world to hone their culinary skills at this sustainable, biodiverse farm-to-table project. The core philosophy of the farm and the school is sustainable food production whilst also building up wildflower meadows, recording insects, swift boxes and house martens, not cutting hedgerows and planting edible hedgerows for wildlife and shelter. 

Adam Harris founded AsIAm based on his own experiences growing up as an Autistic person in Ireland. In addition to his leadership at AsIAm, Adam was appointed to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in July 2020 and serves as a Executive Council Member for Autism Europe. He is a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee and has sat on and advised many government consultative and policy committees on disability rights and inclusion, which have helped shape national policies for a more inclusive society.

A passionate public speaker and advocate, Adam regularly contributes to media and conferences in Ireland and overseas, engaging with government and the public to promote greater understanding and acceptance of Autistic individuals. His work has positioned AsIAm as a cornerstone of autism advocacy in Ireland, driven by his belief that Ireland must become a country in which every Autistic person is accepted ‘as they are’ – equal, valued and respected. 

Fiona McKenna is a Sustainable Destination Development Officer for Clare County Council. This role, the first role of its kind in Ireland, focuses on achieving a sustainable destination certification for County Clare in line with Clare’s Tourism Strategy 2030.

Fiona holds a PhD in Sustainable Tourism Destination Management from the Atlantic Technological University, Sligo. 

Ray Ó Foghlú is the development lead at nature restoration charity Hometree.

What began as a tree-planting charity grew into a project that endeavours to deeply connect people with nature, and facilitates a wide variety of fundamental projects to address both Ireland’s declining biodiversity and the unfolding climate challenge.

Ray runs the charity’s farm programmes, such as Illaun FarmForest EIP, as well as their cultural projects, including Dinnseanchas & Ardnaculla Summer School. 

Barry Rogers heads up Dublin City Tourism Unit which is responsible for sustainable tourism development across Dublin city.

The unit is also responsible for the Smart Tourism Programme for Dublin which is focused on driving innovation in the tourism industry and establishing Dublin as a world-leading ‘Smart Destination’.

Dublin was the first Irish city to sign the Glasgow Declaration on Sustainable Tourism Development and has recently announced its commitment to undertaking Global Sustainable Tourism Council destination sustainability certification.

The unit also recently won the prestigious Global Tourism Innovation award and Dublin was also awarded the title 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism. 

Bronagh O’Rourke is a qualified eco tour guide and conservation ranger, and is passionate about wellness and the environment.

She runs the Burren Farm Experience tour business which enables people to gain insight into the history and formation of the farm and the landscape of the Burren.

Bronagh also created the Burren Premium Beef brand in 2020. Bronagh’s long-term strategy is to improve the land for biodiversity and embrace climate change mitigation measures such as carbon sequestration through the protection of their woodlands. She also wants to give her visitors the space to reconnect with nature in a unique, impactful and memorable way. 

Brendan Dunford is a founder of Burren Beo Trust, a charity which aims to connect people to their places and their role in caring for them.

Burrenbeo’s work includes monthly walks and talks, conservation volunteering, festivals like Burren in Bloom and Burren Winterage, education projects like Heritage Keepers and hands-on nature restoration initiatives such as The Hare’s Corner. Brendan is also a founder of Farming for Nature and ReFarm which aim to acknowledge, celebrate and support farmers across Ireland and Europe who work to protect nature.

Based in County Clare, Brendan was manager of Burren Programme (2010-23) which employed an innovative, results-based payment system to incentivise Burren farmers to improve local biodiversity, water quality and landscape, delivering consistent social, economic and environmental gains – and garnering national and international accolades – during its lifetime. 

John Burke is CEO of Armada, which comprises Armada Hotel, House and Farm. This business was the first hotel to achieve the internationally recognised B Corp status in Ireland and is now part of a global community of businesses that are collectively working to develop a better way of doing business, achieving a high standard of social, environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

The Armada employs 230 people in high season and has a year-round work force of 190. 

James Chilton, Associate Director, KPMG Future Analytics Consulting James Chilton is an expert in spatial planning and destination development. He has worked in Ireland, the UK, New Zealand, Portugal and Georgia, engaging in destination planning, strategic tourism master-planning, feasibility analysis, recreation planning and urban regeneration.

his notable projects include a recreation trails strategy for the Algarve; a heritage tourism project in Georgia; and a visitor management and sustainable tourism plan for Holy Island, Co Clare.

These projects share the themes of balancing diverse interests to achieve optimal outcomes for local communities while providing engaging experiences for visitors.

James also led the project team for the successful €20.2m Westport Estate Platforms for Growth application, a Destination Town application for Carlow Town, and a recent €7.2m Urban Regeneration and Development Fund application for Carrick Campus.

James is a Chartered Town Planner. 

Eoin Cluskey is the co-founder of Bread 41, a well-known bakery in Dublin recognised for its high-quality sourdough breads and pastries - and its commitment to sustainability.

Bread 41 is celebrated for its use of traditional methods, including slow fermentation and sourdough techniques, using only three ingredients organic flour, water and salt. It is also committed to working closer with Irish farmers moving forward to procure more organic Irish grains.

Bread 41 also focuses on environmentally friendly initiatives. The bakeries run using renewable energy, and high-performance, low-energy ovens have been installed to further reduce energy consumption. Single-use coffee cups have been removed and other measures include considerable bin reduction, operating a biodigester, removing baking paper and many more initiatives.

Eoin points out that, in the main any decision that has been taken to improve our environmental footprint has also saved the business considerable amounts of money. 

Just 10 days to go till our Inspiring Sustainable Tourism Conference. See our line-up of amazing speaker! Have you got your ticket yet? https://t.co/416PRw2Iib pic.twitter.com/epVWAK5oMC

— Sustainable Tourism Network (@Sus_Tourism_Net) January 13, 2025