Tedx in midlands 'was on my to do list' says Mullingar woman

Síofra Grant

Five years ago, Orla Thornton, director of marketing and communications at TUS, had the idea to bring a TEDx talk to Westmeath and that goal was realised when the Dean Crowe Theatre welcomed the think tank and 12 speakers to discuss ‘The Ripple Effect’.

Orla, a Mullingar woman, said: “I first had the idea, or the desire, to bring TEDx to the midlands maybe five years ago. “It was on my to-do list,” she joked.

“But over the course of that period, we have merged and created a new university and a new brand, and so everything was busy.

“Naturally, there’s always competing priorities, so in 2024, I said it’s time to get the project out of the notebook and into reality.”

In preparation for TEDxAthlone Orla and her team travelled to the TEDx event in Galway.

“That was really the start of bringing it here, applying for a licence and then moving into the planning stage, engaging speakers and delivering what happened last Thursday.”

That’s exactly what Orla did. She secured the TEDx licence and successfully led her team in the delivery of the Athlone event. The ‘Ripple Effect’ theme and the speakers tackled the concept in all areas such as innovation, identity, medicine, technology and public life.

“The idea behind ‘The Ripple Effect’ is that it explores how one idea, or one act or one change can transform everything around us. The thinking behind it is that change doesn’t always start with a grand gesture. It often begins with a single moment or a simple idea or a courageous act or some reflection.

“From that point, it spreads outwards, it touches people’s lives, it reshapes communities and it inspires new possibilities.”

The speakers used the theme to share stories of how their ideas or actions have created ripples of impact across industries, communities, and themselves. “I suppose we wanted the audience to experience that and you know open up their minds and to listen to all of the talks.

“The question we posed to the audience was ‘what ripple might I carry forward from here?’.

“The whole idea behind TEDx is that you hear a range of talks across various different sectors.”

The sectors that were covered in Athlone ranged from sport, medicine and technology to public life.

According to Orla, each of the talks received high praise from the audience.

“Dr Niamh Hynes was well received, I think that fascinating conversation about emerging technologies and how that can lead into personalised medicines. The audience found that really fascinating.”

Orla said that is the beauty of the TEDx talks.

“You wouldn’t necessarily go and listen to a talk by a vascular surgeon but by going to a TEDx event, you traverse serious topics which are at the cutting edge of research and science.”

There was also had a talk from Dave Duke on the modern Irish identity, what it means to be Irish and the stories of belonging. Ciarán Mullooly gave a talk on Access for All and its importance.

“Of all of their talks, I’m only mentioning a couple – I don’t have favourites, but the audience received all of them so well, and that’s just amazing.”

Orla and the other organisers wanted to bring TEDx to the midlands to inspire locals.

“It’s not a standalone event,” she said, “it’s part of a long term vision to show that the midlands is thriving, connected and focused. The goal for me as an organiser with Mary Jo is to ignite the conversations and inspire collective action, whether that’s someone in the audience or a 12-year-old girl who watches it in her bedroom in a year’s time on YouTube.

“And how all of that can lead to social, cultural, and the economic development of the communities in which we live.”