Convention to discuss Excellent Prospects for Renewable Energy in Mayo

Leading figures from Mayo expat communities all over the world are set to descend on the old county for a major Mayo convention in May. The official opening will be performed by President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

President McAleese will perform the official opening on Saturday morning, and all workshop sessions on that day are open to members of the public.

The purpose is to create discussion and debate on some of the key issues facing the county of Mayo. This Event is Being Hosted by the Mayo Association of Dublin and the Mayo Assosiation of Galway

Special focus will be placed on enterprise and employment in the renewable energy sector at the eleventh Mayo Associations Worldwide Convention in Westport.

The convention (May 27th-29th) follows the theme of 'Power by Land and Sea - a Future for our People', and it will facilitate debate on what appear to be excellent prospects for Mayo, and the country as a whole, in the renewable energy sector.

In addition to the substantial gas reserves off the coast, Mayo is also blessed with some of the finest renewable energy resources in the world, which present opportunities to exploit vast amounts of wind, ocean, and solar energy.

Speaking at the launch of the convention in Westport, Co. Mayo, today, Sean Reid, chairperson of the organising committee, said: "The convention's theme has been selected to promote public discourse about an area that has huge potential for Mayo and Ireland, and hopefully some interesting and valuable proposals will emerge."

"Mayo has been chosen as a National Test Site for wave power, which is a great boost for the county, and illustrates that significant developments are still taking place here," Mayo county manager Peter Hynes added.

"We have the potential to become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy for Europe. There is also the opportunity to become a major supplier of technologies and expertise which means Ireland can become a significant player in both the renewable energy and marine engineering sectors."

Full details of the convention here

Windmills image by DannyMcL on Flickr under Creative Commons licence