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President Higgins visits Skibbereen for private tour of Ludgate digital hub

August 15th, 2018 5:45 PM

By Southern Star Team

Ludgate Hub board members with President Higgins in the digital hub building in Skibbereen. (Photo: Emma Jervis)

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President Michael D Higgins was in Skibbereen last week for a visit to the Ludgate Hud.

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins was in Skibbereen last week for a visit to the Ludgate Hud.

‘We are honoured to welcome the president to Ludgate,’ Adrienne Harrington, CEO of the Hub said. ‘It is a huge privilege to be able to showcase the impact that the Ludgate Hub has had, not only on Skibbereen, but also on West Cork.’ 

President Higgins was given a private tour of the hub and its facilities, where he spent some time speaking with hub member, learning about their work and the positive impact that the Ludgate has had on their businesses.

‘Today’s visit by President Michael D Higgins was something which we have been greatly looking forward to,’ John Field, chairman of the Ludgate Board, said. ‘It gave us the opportunity to highlight the success that has so far been achieved by the hub and to showcase Ludgate as a template for rural development, which has the potential to be replicated across Ireland.’

After the tour, President Higgins attended a private meeting with Ludgate board members where they discussed the progress at Ludgate over the past two years;  the hub’s digital education initiatives, as well as the transformative impact that the 1GB connectivity has had on the local West Cork community. He was particularly interested in how Ludgate was helping to create a sustainable community in West Cork, facilitating families returning to the region, while progressing their careers.

‘The Ludgate hub was opened in June 2016,’ Adrienne Harrington said. ‘It is a beacon of innovation and hope for rural Ireland. Skibbereen has the ability to inspire the country as an extraordinary example of a town that leads the way for digital development. The Ludgate initiative aims to facilitate up to 75 people in a creative co-working environment with a long-term objective to facilitate 500 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs via a sustainable digital economy for Skibbereen and the wider West Cork area. To date, 100 direct jobs have been facilitated by the initiative.’

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