Wisconsin Youth Honored At Regional Fleadh 

In his first trip to the North American Midwest Regional Fleadh Cheoil (Irish music festival) held in St. Louis this year, Michael Crossley of Horicon, Wisconsin won second place in Tin Whistle and third in Bodhran in the 15 to 18 age group. His second place finish makes him eligible to compete in the All Ireland Fleadh in County Donegal, Ireland later this summer. 

His whistle judge, All Ireland Fleadh champion Sean Ryan, commented that his play was beautiful and his technique solid saying, "Congrats to whoever your teacher is!" Michael knows the five years of excellent instruction from John Ceszynski, of Appleton, is the reason for this praise. He began his lessons with John when he was 10 years old after studying the Great Highland Bagpipes since he was 7. 

Now 16 years old, Michael studies Irish flute and bouzouki with Asher Gray of the Milwaukee band Cé . He has played with Cé as a guest performer at Irish Fest as well as various venues in and around Milwaukee and Green Bay. It was Asher who encouraged him to compete in the Fleadh for the great experience and the fun of meeting and playing with dozens of other Irish musicians. 

One of the musicians Michael met is a 16 year old fiddler, A.J. Srubas of DePere, Wisconsin. They have continued to get together with hopes of performing this summer. Both musicians play multiple instruments allowing them to present a variety of tunes and sounds. One day soon, Michael hopes to purchase a set of Uilleann pipes and start lessons with John Ceszynski once again. 

Michael will not be able to attend the All Ireland Fleadh this year but hopes to qualify again next year. He and his parents plan to travel to Ireland and Scotland in 2006 and maybe a Fleadh will be on the itinerary.

Irish Fair of Minnesota Introduces Summer School Session
August 11th Presents a Day to Delve into Irish Culture and Heritage

Irish Fair of Minnesota, in conjunction with the Center for Irish Studies, will introduce a day-long Summer School session to be held at the O'Shaughnessy Educational Center at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Irish Fair Summer School presents a unique opportunity to deepen one's appreciation for Irish culture, music and traditions. Seven distinguished speakers in the fields of theater, music, history, education and literature will share their insights into Irish heritage.

Speakers include Kate and Jodie Dowling from the Center for Irish Music, Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, Jefferson Smurfit Professor of Irish Music from the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Irish musician and entertainer Tommy Makem, who will also be performing at the fair on Friday and Sunday, John Gleeson from the Center for Celtic Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Joe Dowling, artistic director of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. 

The evening session will consist of a viewing of a documentary on renowned Irish playwright Sean O'Casey entitled "Under a Colored Cap," followed by a presentation by O'Casey's daughter, Shivaun O'Casey, who produced the documentary of his life.

Three different ticketing options are available: $40 for the entire day and evening sessions including lunch and dinner, $20 for the day and evening sessions excluding meals and $10 for the evening presentation by Shivaun O'Casey and viewing of the documentary. To register, please visit the Irish Fair website at www.irishfair.com and download the registration form or contact Patrick O'Donnell at 651-644-4436 or email patrickodonnell@normandale.edu. 

The summer school schedule is as follows:

10-11 am Kate & Jode Dowling
11-12:30 pm Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin 
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-3 pm Tommy Makem
3-4 pm Patrick O'Donnell
4-5 pm John Gleeson
5-6 pm Joe Dowling
6-7 pm Dinner
7-8:30 pm "Under a Colored Cap"
8:30-9:30 pm Shivaun O'Casey

Irish Fair of Minnesota, the largest free Irish celebration in the upper Midwest, will be held at Saint Paul's Harriet Island Regional Park Friday through Sunday, Aug. 12-14. 

Musical headliners this year include Flogging Molly, Young Dubliners, Danu and Tommy Makem. Many other favorite Irish Fair activities will be back including Irish culture and Gaelic language workshops and genealogy booths where patrons can trace their family roots. For more information and a complete entertainment schedule visit www.irishfair.com. 

Northern Ireland Business News Covers Wide Range of Topics

Courtesy of the Northern Ireland Bureau

NI Economic Growth above UK Average 

Northern Ireland’s economic growth rate is above the UK average, while manufacturing exports have doubled in the last decade. 

These are some of the key findings in the first Northern Ireland Economic Bulletin. The Bulletin brings together a range of statistics and recent research including findings, which show: 

* Northern Ireland’s overall economic growth (6.0%) in 2002-03 was above the UK average (5.4%) and joint 2nd highest of the UK regions. 

* Despite the decline in NI manufacturing jobs (3.3%) in the period December 2003-04, manufacturing output continued to grow (2.3%) at a faster rate than in the UK (0.6%). 

* Total manufacturing exports have more than doubled over the last decade in real terms to $7,448m in 2003-04. 

* Northern Ireland has the highest level of employee jobs on record and unemployment levels are close to their historical low. 

Welcoming the publication, Enterprise Minister Angela Smith said: "This publication confirms positive signs in the performance of the economy, and makes clear that we are in a transition period. It gets below the headline figures and examines recent performance across a number of key economic sectors. It is encouraging to note that, despite the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector, overall manufacturing output has continued to grow, with a greater emphasis on exports. We must continue to focus our activities to create high value added employment."

Other key points in The Bulletin include:
 

• While Gross Value Added per capita (a measure of the wealth created per person in the population) remains well below the UK average (81.2%) at $22,767 in 2003, this is the highest proportion recorded for NI over the last 15 years. 

 
• The Northern Ireland economy continues to be over reliant on the public sector, which accounted for one third of all jobs in December 2004 compared to one-fifth in the UK as a whole. 

 
• 54% of jobs growth in the past five years has been part time and 37% of jobs increases were accounted for by the public sector. 

 
• The proportion of the NI working age population engaged in entrepreneurial activity (5.0%) remains below that of the UK (6.3%) and the Republic of Ireland (7.7%). 

Angela smith continued: "Increasing private sector activity as the real source of wealth creation is essential if we are to overcome the reliance on public sector employment. Ensuring that we have a vibrant entrepreneurial culture is vital for the full development of our economic potential. 

New Center of Excellence will advance Engineering Research 

Northern Ireland’s technology infrastructure has received a major boost with a $10 million net investment in a new engineering research centre at FG Wilson Engineering, Larne.

The Caterpillar Electric Power Engineering Centre of Excellence is a highly sophisticated, multi-disciplined facility that will carry out market leading, fundamental and applied research into the performance and control of electrical generators. It will create 29 high value jobs.

Invest Northern Ireland has offered over $2.6 million to support the centre, which was officially opened by Enterprise Minister, Angela Smith.

At the opening event in Larne the Minister said: "This impressive facility will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s research infrastructure which is vital to the development of highly innovative and commercially viable products.

"The centre will provide an opportunity for engineering graduates to develop skills in a demanding career. By increasing the level of expertise in this sector we will accelerate innovation and technology transfer and raise the profile of Northern Ireland’s engineering expertise in the global arena."

Dr. Mark Sweeney, the managing director of FG Wilson Engineering, says: "Our aim is to expand our business substantially by focusing on new product development. The centre will be an enabler for growth in both the existing and developing markets. It will be a major driver of technological development in Northern Ireland and it supports Caterpillar's strategy to develop its power generation business globally. 

"We want to encourage an integrated approach to innovation through cross-disciplinary projects. Using the combined technological capabilities of FG Wilson, the universities and others we aim to generate cutting-edge research that can be quickly translated into practical applications."
New Century City
 

Belfast has officially been designated as a ‘New Century City’, a title ‘bestowed’ on the city by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.

The title was presented by MIT’s Centre for Real Estate at an international symposium attended by over 150 high profile delegates from four continents who heard how Belfast was helping lead the way in the integration of new technology and property. Entitled ‘New Century Cities: Real Estate Value in a Digital World’, the symposium studied the Northern Ireland Science Park as an example of best practice.

The New Century Cities initiative exists to highlight projects which combine technology, urban design and real estate development – integrating the latest technologies into the physical, social and commercial fabric of a city. Its basis is that the cities of the next century will be radically unlike cities of centuries past. For instance, according to William Mitchell, who holds the Professorship at MIT’s Media Lab, "connectivity and intelligence will be part of buildings just as lighting and air conditioning are now." 

Apart from the Science Park, other projects highlighted were the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Seoul’s Digital Media City, Singapore’s One North and Helsinki’s Virtual Village.

The Northern Ireland Science Park has always been determined to deliver bespoke facilities for knowledge-based occupants that are the equal of anything available elsewhere, an objective which we will continue to pursue.

As the Science Park continues to expand, the focus will remain very firmly on providing an award winning IT infrastructure, very flexible lease terms, a campus style community which encourages knowledge transfer and the adoption of a sustainable approach to development. But there is a wider picture to consider.

The Northern Ireland Science Park is not just about providing top-end facilities for our occupants at Queen’s Island. We want the Science Park to act as a bridgehead, supporting the roll-out of innovative technology throughout the rest of Northern Ireland. We’ve already, for example, incorporated a new land remediation technique and are currently the focus of a new wireless broadband trial, the first of its kind in Europe.

The Science Park will also act as a catalyst for the commercialization of Northern Ireland’s R&D base and provide a focal point for those involved in the hi-tech sectors, be they academic, commercial or Government based, encouraging the development of an integrated ‘knowledge community’ which shares ideas and contacts.

Although the basic elements of dong business have remained the same, the fundamental processes of doing work and the accompanying psychology and sociology of the workplace have changed forever. The report suggests that in the future competitive advantage will rely on the creativity of people rather than raw materials. By its nature knowledge work is more variable, not location specific and highly collaborative. That has huge implications for how and where businesses organise themselves.

Invest NI Attracts Wombat to Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland has secured an investment which will see Wombat, the US-based financial services group, establish its global center of software engineering excellence in Northern Ireland.

Wombat’s software transfers stock exchange data to remote trading floors in banks at high speed, improving the efficiency and accuracy of automated trading systems. The investment will enable Wombat to focus on product development and customer support, with a longer term view to the Belfast site emerging as a base for European sales. 

Welcoming the investment Ian Murphy, Director of Creative and Design-Based Industries, Invest NI said, "Wombat’s commitment reinforces Northern Ireland’s global reputation as a key business base for international entrepreneurs wanting to exploit market opportunities in Europe. Invest NI has established support for these entrepreneurs with global potential, under our accelerating entrepreneurship strategy. 

The project will further enhance Northern Ireland’s reputation as a world class centre for financial services software and we hope it will act as a catalyst for further projects in the sector."

"Wombat intends to develop a world class engineering center of excellence in Belfast to support our growing customer base both in Europe and the financial centers in the North East US," said Danny Moore Chief Operations Officer, Wombat Financial Software Inc. 

"We were searching for a location with talented engineers, most notably with C/C++ and Unix skills, but equally important customer facing experience, excellent English language communication skills, work ethic and a service ethos. Belfast scored very high on all these fronts. 

Moore added: "The financial assistance from Invest Northern Ireland will help us to invest in key staff, training and infrastructure early in the process. We expect to be able to deliver strategic product and engineering initiatives from Belfast through the second half of 2005." 

Wombat has an exclusive client list including many of the leading Tier 1 investment banks in London and the US, leading hedge funds, market makers and mutual funds. 

Wombat joins a growing number of internationally respected organizations such as Citigroup, Oracle and Microsoft which have recently announced the establishment of software development centers in Northern Ireland.

Rome, Berlin and Geneva come to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s international air links will be significantly strengthened with the take off of five new air routes into Belfast.

The new routes from Rome, Inverness, Geneva, Berlin and Palma will be operated by easyJet. The Rome, Berlin and Geneva routes were supported by the Government’s Air Route Development Fund. 

Commenting on the new routes, Enterprise Minister, Angela Smith said: "With the introduction of these additional routes we can clearly say that Northern Ireland has developed into a major international base for one of the premier operators in the low-cost air transport sector. 

"Coming hard on the heels of the introduction of the New York – Belfast service which began in May, this is another major stride towards improving the accessibility of Northern Ireland’s businesses to the global economy, and of tourists to Northern Ireland. 

"easyJet is to be commended for the commitment it has shown to Northern Ireland since it arrived here almost seven years ago."

easyJet now operates nine scheduled services to GB and ten to Europe from Belfast International Airport. The five new routes requires easyJet to keep an additional plane stationed at Belfast International, bringing the total to five planes, supporting over 30 jobs at the airport.

Bill McGinnis, Chairman of Air Route Development Ltd, said: "The expansion of easyJet’s base at Belfast International Airport is good news for local businesses wishing to develop export and partnership opportunities in Europe.

"As European capital cities, direct links to Rome and Berlin represent exciting opportunities for economic growth. Furthermore, Geneva is a key economic centre, home to the World Trade Organisation and over 100 multinational corporations.

These new routes also represent three more European countries with direct access to Northern Ireland, which can only be good news for trading links and the inbound tourism industry here."

New Monitoring Group announced for the Maze/Long Kesh site.

Reinvestment and Reform Initiative Minister Jeff Rooker has announced a new monitoring group for the Maze/Long Kesh site at Lisburn.

Called the Maze/Long Kesh Monitoring Group, it will be given a role in the consideration of proposals for the regeneration of the site.

The Minister said: "This is a vital component in the consideration of this potentially massive regeneration project. It is most important that the political parties are involved in the preparatory plans and that they oversee the implementation of any decisions that the government makes."

Jeff Rooker also revealed that he has written to the leaders of the four main political parties to invite them to make nominations to the Monitoring Group. 

He praised the work done by the Maze Consultation Panel which reported in February: "Getting the agreement of all four political parties to a vision for the Maze/Long Kesh site was a real achievement. Much work remains to be done to examine the prospects for turning their proposals into reality. I want to ensure that the parties continue to be involved in the regeneration of the site."

Commenting on the role of the new Group, he said: "The first task of the new Monitoring Group will be to liaise with the masterplanners appointed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and their advisers, the Strategic Investment Board, to produce by this autumn a realistic framework for the regeneration of the site."

European Experts put Medicines Under the Microscope at UU

Almost 150 of Europe’s top experts on medicines gathered at the University of Ulster to discuss their research findings in key areas such as antibiotic resistance, improving patient compliance with their medication and the potential harmful effects of prescribed medicines.

In a remarkable coup for the University, the European Drug Utilisation Research Group (EuroDURG) is holding its annual scientific congress at the Coleraine campus. This is the first time the event has been held in Ireland and only the second in the UK.

EuroDURG is a scientific society studying the use of medicines by patients, doctors, pharmacists and nurses and researching ways to improve the safety and effectiveness of medical treatment.

Researchers from 18 European countries will present and discuss their findings in several key areas including:

* Measuring prescribing quality.
* Improving patient compliance.
* Prescribing for children, pregnant women and older people.
* Improving prescribing in hospital and general practice.
* Prescribing by nurses and pharmacists.
* Harmful effects of prescribed medicines.
* The growing threat of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Local conference organizer, Prof. Hugh McGavock, Visiting Professor of Prescribing Science, said: "The decision of EuroDURG to come to Coleraine is a tremendous coup for the University of Ulster. The delegates include some of the very best researchers in the world in this field including a large contingent from Sweden, one of the leading centres in the world for research into the efficacy and safety of prescribed medicines. 

"In terms of human need, there may be larger scientific conferences held elsewhere in the world, but there will be none which better addresses the needs of patients directly and which also examines how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of prescribing medicines."

Among those making keynote presentations to the conference will be Peter Davey, a key Government advisor on the threat of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the growth of the so-called "superbugs" such as MRSA. In all more than four hours of the conference will be devoted to this highly topical subject.

Broadband Enhances NI Business, Learning, Tourism

A $2.42 million project to help businesses, colleges and the tourism industry realise the full potential of broadband technology has been unveiled in Londonderry. 

Enterprise Minister Angela Smith launched the Northern Ireland Broadband Flagship Initiative to help businesses, the tourism industry and colleges and universities understand and make the most of the capabilities and potential of broadband networks.

Through the project, a number of Derry City Council services and lectures tutorials and laboratory sessions at the North West Institute and Magee College will be delivered using broadband. It will also enhance the tourism experience in Londonderry by providing visitors to the City’s walls with a hand held computer or a personal digital assistant, (PDA) giving information on local history, eating out and best places to shop.

Speaking at the launch in the Derry’s Guildhall, Angela Smith said, "The Northern Ireland Broadband Flagship Project will act as a beacon for broadband development by putting into action some of the endless possibilities offered by the technology. It will provide an innovative centre for developing applications, content, and services in a broadband environment. 

"By the end of 2005, the Government initiative to make broadband accessible to every single home and business in Northern Ireland will be complete. This 18-month project represents the next step in understanding the capabilities and potential of broadband, to ensure that Northern Ireland knows how to get a competitive edge through the use of broadband."

Angela Smith concluded: "We work increasingly in a broadband and wireless world where business and citizens seek access to high speed telecomms networks to access and exchange information. They use many devices including portable computers, iPods and camera phones to share experiences and do business. It is vital that our businesses and tomorrow’s employees fully understand this environment and I believe this project will lead the way to enhance our understanding."
 

Queen's Opens $15 Million Physics Center

A $15 million state-of-the-art facility, which will act as a centre for world-class international physics research, has officially opened by Queen's University.

The International Research Centre for Experimental Physics (IRCEP) was opened by Scotland's first chief advisor on science and Queen's physics graduate, Professor Wilson Sibbett, who said the world-leading centre represents a landmark development for Queen's.

"It can be expected to secure for the University and its physicists a yet further enhanced profile which will serve as an important attractor to students, graduate researchers and international visitors. This is a very exciting and imaginative initiative in physics upon which many major new achievements will undoubtedly be built in the future," he said.

The center has been funded under the SPUR initiative (Support Programme for University Research), through a public-private partnership programme between the Department for Employment and Learning and Atlantic Philanthropies over a four-year period. 

According to Queen’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson, the new Centre will make Queen’s a pioneer in the field of experimental research.
"It will play a central role in building upon Queen's reputation as a world leader in this fundamental branch of science," he said.

Built to encourage collaborative research within the School of Maths and Physics, other academic disciplines inside and outside Queen's, as well as industry, the center features a number of interactive areas and often unique and highly sophisticated equipment.

According to its Director Professor Bill Graham, the new facility will ensure that essential research can be carried out in developing the concepts, tools and skilled personnel for next generation technologies.

"It will provide local hi-tech companies with access to the highest quality research and facilities and allow young people studying physics in Northern Ireland to have access to world class facilities. It will also enable the School of Mathematics and Physics, which achieved a grade 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) to maintain its international profile. 

Queen's Astronomers Wait for Cosmic Collision

Astronomers at Queen's University played an important role in NASA's Deep Impact mission. Using telescopes around the world and in space, the Belfast scientists are studying what happened when the spacecraft hit the comet at a speed of 10 kilometres per second (7 miles per second). 

"This is a fantastic experiment designed to really tell us what comets are made of, where they come from and how they evolve," said Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen's. Professor Fitzsimmons was in Hawaii at the time of impact, using the Faulkes Telescope to observe the impact itself and its immediate aftermath.

Dr. Stephen Lowry was be in La Palma in the Canary Islands, using the Isaac Newton Telescope to observe the dust, gas and plasma in the comet. Dr. Lowry said "Observations of the comet from Earth before, during, and after the probe impact form a critical part of the mission. Our observations of the comet's coma and plasma tail are part of a coordinated world-wide campaign to record every possible outcome from the impact."

Colin Snodgrass is a PhD student in Belfast but controlling the robotic Liverpool telescope, also in La Palma. "The impact releases material from the inside of a comet, something which we have never been able to observe before," said Mr Snodgrass. 

In some senses using the most distant telescope, Dr. Damian Christen used NASA's Chandra Space Telescope to study the X-rays emitted from the comet before and after the encounter. 

The impact on the comet will not have noticeably altered its orbit around the Sun.

Queen's Welcomes New Charter for Women in Science

Queen's University welcomed an innovative new initiative which aims to tackle the lack of women academic staff in science, engineering and technology (SET) in United Kingdom universities.

The University is a founder member of the Athena SWAN Charter, launched at the Institute of Physics in London, which recognizes excellence in science, engineering and technology (SET) employment in higher education. 

The Charter will help universities to create more equitable working environments for women scientists and reward performance in this area through a national award scheme. 

The Athena Project aims to promote the advancement of women in science, engineering and technology in higher education and a significant increase in the number of women recruited to the top posts. Its Charter developed out of the work of SWAN (the Scientific Women's Academic Network), coordinated by London Metropolitan University 

Universities who become Charter members pledge themselves to action at organizational and departmental levels, to monitoring their progress and to providing an annual account of their action and plans to improve women's participation and progression in SET.

In 2003 Queen's received first prize in the inaugural national Athena awards for the development and performance of its Gender Initiative, which has sparked a culture change across the University. 

The Charter was welcomed by Gender Initiative Director Professor Margaret Mullett. She said: "We are delighted that Queen's, which has already committed itself to the advancement of all its women through the Gender Initiative, has joined the other founder members of the Charter in pledging itself to correcting gender imbalance at management level, and in science, engineering and technology.

"The SWAN Charter will play a crucial role in tackling these issues. We particularly welcome the Charter's recognition that we need to examine the implications of the absence of diversity at management and policy-making levels, and its acknowledgement that the transition from a PhD to a sustainable academic career in science can be particularly difficult for women."