SIR – When friends in Skibbereen started talking about the Digital Hub, ‘Ludgate,’ I wasn’t sure what it was, much less have imagined how grateful I would be for its existence this summer.
SIR – When friends in Skibbereen started talking about the Digital Hub, ‘Ludgate,’ I wasn’t sure what it was, much less have imagined how grateful I would be for its existence this summer.
The constant breaking of the broadband connection in Kilcoe has long been a cause of mild irritation, but this year, with a lot of research to complete against the clock, inadequate broadband made me weep with frustration. Worse still, my current project involves colleagues in London and Dublin who demanded photo images from me quickly and they were becoming testy.
I decided to rent a hot desk at Ludgate. It’s such a simple idea. You turn up with your laptop and for a modest €19 a day you get a quiet workspace, a plug and a password to the fastest broadband I have ever encountered anywhere.
It was possible to work with my Dublin and London colleagues as if they were in the same room. Sharing images, film and text files that took over an hour each to upload in Kilcoe took 10 to 15 seconds at Ludgate. Result: our work was completed in a fraction of the time, and my reputation (I hope) restored.
Congratulations, Skibbereen, for having the foresight to set up the Digital Hub. It will revolutionise the working lives of all of us who depend on technology and will undoubtedly attract others, lured by the new ability to combine the quality of life that West Cork offers with the means of progressing a professional life.
Katharine Crouan,
Kilcoe,
Skibbereen.
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