The 19th Annual Colloquium of the CSRS of the IGU

The 19th Annual Colloquium of the International Geographical Union (IGU) Commission on the Sustainability of Rural Systems (CSRS) was held at NUI Galway, from 1-7 August 2011, and is judged to have been a most successful event. Some 70 delegates and accompanying persons attended from 17 countries, including Ireland. Dr Mary Cawley, who is a member of the CSRS, was Chair of the Organising Committee. The proceedings were opened officially by the Registrar and Deputy President, Professor Nollaig Mac Congáil, on the morning of Tuesday 2nd August. Professor Ulf Strohmayer, Head of SoGA welcomed the delegates on behalf of the School. Professor Patrick Duffy, NUI Maynooth, Chair of the National Committee for the Geographical Sciences of the RIA, extended a welcome on behalf of the Committee. The Co Chairs of the CSRS, Professor Ana Maria Bicalho and Professor Lucette Laurens, thanked the organisers and wished the proceedings well.

The overarching colloquium theme was The Sustainability of Rural Systems: Local and Global Challenges and Opportunities. Six Keynote Lectures which addressed the theme were delivered by: Professor Guy Robinson, University of South Australia; Professor Ana Maria Bicalho, Federal University of Brazil; Professor Lucette Laurens, University of Montpellier 3; Professor Michael Woods, University of Aberystwyth; Professor Michael Cuddy, NUI, Galway; Professor Tony Sorensen, University of New England, NSW. Professor Robinson’s lecture was sponsored by the Millennium Fund, NUI Galway. The lectures by the other four visiting speakers were sponsored by the Irish Social Sciences Platform through CISC.

Eleven postgraduate students from Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Ireland, who presented papers or posters, received bursaries in support of their fees from the Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, Dr Edward Herring. Additional support for the colloquium was provided by the School of Geography and Archaeology, CISC, the Ryan Institute, the EPA, Fáilte Ireland and the Departments of Geography in a number of Irish universities.