In this Section, we set the scene for our County identifying its unique attributes. We also set out the core values which underpin this Strategy together with the aims of the Kerry County Development Board and the methodology used by the Board to develop this Strategy.

1.1 Our County

County Kerry is located in the South West of Ireland and covers an area of 1,815 sq. miles. In 1996, the population of the County was 126,130 people and is currently estimated at 136,000. Kerry is popularly known as "the Kingdom". It is the fifth largest County in Ireland and is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by the Shannon Estuary and to the east by Limerick and Cork. The latter County also forms its southern boundary.

The County can be divided geographically into low-lands and gentle hills in the North and rugged hills and mountains in the South and West. The Northern area is sub-divided into:

• The hill region along the Limerick and Cork Borders and the Kerry Head Peninsula.
• The lowlands north of Lixnaw and south of Tralee.
• The lowlands between Lixnaw, Fenit and Tralee.

South Kerry can be sub-divided into:

• The lowlands from Killarney to Glenbeigh.
• The Iveragh Peninsula with the MacGillycuddy Reeks, and the Beara Peninsula.

West Kerry comprises the Dingle Peninsula, Chorca Dhuibhne. The Dingle, Iveragh and Beara Peninsulas are primarily mountainous in nature.

Over 41% of County Kerry is 500 feet above sea level. This contrasts with the national situation where only 22% of the Country is above this elevation.

County Kerry is noted for its agriculture, tourism and beautiful landscapes and it contains Irelands highest mountain, Carrauntuohill. Kerry has two Gaeltacht areas, which are of national importance, Gaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne which is situated on the Dingle Peninsula and Gaeltacht Uibhrathaigh which is situated on the Iveragh Peninsula.

Three main towns dominate: Tralee, the County town and administrative centre with a 1996 population of 19,056, Killarney, the main tourist town with a population of 8,689 people (1996) and Listowel, a more traditional market town, with a strong cultural identity has a population of 3,393 (1996) people.

The coastal nature of the County should not be underestimated. The County contains many unique off shore islands with strong heritage and faunal significance both for County Kerry and for Ireland as a whole. The climate is influenced by its maritime location and this produces considerable rainfall. This has meant that agriculture tends to be dominated by grassland based activities with limited arable production. The climate, particularly the south western most tip, is noted for its mildness with frost being a rarity.

Kerry is often referred to as "the Kingdom" because of its independent nature. It can also be called the Kingdom in terms of heritage. Aspects of this heritage are internationally and nationally recognised such as Skellig Mhichil and Staigue Fort. The County's heritage and its location at the western edge of Europe have so far escaped from intense development pressure. Kerry's heritage is protected in a number of ways. There are several environmental designations including Natural Heritage Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas in the County.

Culture and the Irish Language are identifying aspects of the County. The County is home to many famous writers. Within this cultural context, it has been said that North and South Kerry have their own very distinct characteristics, that Chorca Dhuibhne had a life of its own and that the most elusive of geographical entities, Sliabh Luachra could be reliably charted only by means of a musical walkabout.

In both linguistic and cultural terms, the Gaeltachts of Kerry are unique, with Irish being the living language of the people in everyday life. The Irish language is intrinsically linked to the heritage and culture of the Gaeltacht Regions.

Kerry also has a strong and proud record in sports. Kerry has a particularly strong tradition in Gaelic Games. There are 70 Gaelic Athletic Association Clubs in County Kerry. The County has won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship on 32 occasions, a record, which exceeds other counties in the Country. The footballers of the County, too numerous to mention, are household names whose influence has extended throughout the length and breadth of the Country.

The County's sporting infrastructure also includes 37 soccer clubs, 16 basketball clubs, 12 badminton clubs, 16 athletic clubs and 5 boxing clubs.

Kerry has some of the finest golf courses in the Country including the internationally renowned Ballybunion links course, Killarney Golf Courses and Waterville Golf Course. Hill walking and mountaineering feature prominently within the recreation activities of the County which has 14 of Irelands 21 highest mountains.

1.2 Our Values and Philosophy

Values are what shape and guide how we do our work. They can be implicit, be deliverable in practice and translated into behaviour on the ground. They are intended to guide people. They are not about what is desirable but what is essential.

In developing this Strategy, there are a number of values, which underpin what we are trying to achieve.

Firstly, there is a people ethic, recognising the strengths of the County, putting people first and endeavouring to impact in a positive way on the quality of the life of people in the County. We value all our people, young and old alike, people who may or may not be socially excluded and the many people who visit our County each year and enjoy its unique environment.

Secondly, we must seek to ensure equal access and encourage participation for all and by all within the single County approach. This includes actively involving the Community & Voluntary Sector and encouraging self-reliance through respecting individual dignity and promoting empowerment.

This Strategy is about recognising what we value. It then requires us to make choices. In developing this Strategy, the Board has been guided by the following philosophies and realisations:

• A recognition that County Kerry has changed and is continuing to change. The County will be a different place in which to live and work in ten years time. We can accept this change or seek to influence it. The philosophy of the Board is to seek to influence change within the County through integrated service delivery.
  
  
• Quality of life is important for the people of County Kerry. The Board accepts that quality of life must be a key determinant and outcome within the Strategy.
  
  
• The Kerry County Development Board is required to develop and oversee the implementation of a Strategy for the sustainable Economic, Social & Cultural Development of the County. Social inclusion and the need to "level the playing field" is a key theme throughout the Strategy. The Strategy is about recognising the reasonable needs of people and the desire to meet those needs.
  
  
• The Board recognises the need for balanced development within the County, that is, balanced development in all of its forms - geographic development,
  development amongst the people, opportunities and cross-sectoral development.
  
  
• The Board operates through mutual respect and a recognition and acceptance that the relationship between the individual and their organisations/sector is one of shared learning.

1.3 Our Aims

From an early stage, the Kerry County Development Board established, through consultation, the priority issues which need to be addressed in this County. In addressing these issues the Board accepts that:

• There must be a shared vision of where we want County Kerry to be in ten years time. This shared vision can be achieved through open, honest and direct dialogue and consultation between the delivery agencies, the social partners, community and voluntary organisations and other sectors.
  
  
• The realisation of this vision will be achieved through enhanced co-ordination in service delivery to the people of the County. There is a need for the sharing of resources, the recognition of the interdependence between organisations and their people and a clear focus on the impact of services on the people of the County, our customers, and the people who visit the County.

  The integration, co-ordination and streamlining of services is a core aim of the County Development Board. Part of this process includes encouraging organisations to proceed as far as possible along the ladder of integration, in particular where actions or projects are being considered on specific issues. This objective applies, not only to the organisations represented on the County Development Board but to the public sector in general and to private sector programmes and projects, where feasible.
  
  

• The rate of change in the County must be capable of measurement and be subject to measurable targets.
  
  
• The National Anti Poverty Strategy (1997) defines poverty as:
  'People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally. As a result of inadequate income and resources, people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities which are considered the norm for other people in society.'

The Kerry County Development Board recognises that persistent poverty affects people in Co Kerry and that its effects are preventing them from full participation in the mainstream of society. Poverty in Kerry is both an economic and social issue and fundamentally one that contributes to inequality and exclusion.

Consistent Poverty impacts upon a broad range of people in our community: women, children, young people, older people, travellers, people with disabilities, migrants, members of ethnic minority groups, urban and rural people. Poverty is hugely damaging to those individuals and in turn the communities in which they live.

As members of the County Development Board we endeavour to tackle both the symptoms and causes of persistent poverty in Co Kerry through the implementation of Meitheal Chiarrai and by targeting areas for co-ordinated action. In Kerry, we will build on the strong anti poverty infrastructure that has been developed nationally in the form of the National Anti Poverty Strategy, the National Development Plan, National Drugs Strategy, National Health Strategy and National Children's Strategy.

Our work will be guided by the principles of community development and therefore we commit to including those who experience persistent poverty in Kerry in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

The priority areas which the Board is targeting and which it will seek to influence include:

• Access to education, lifelong learning and training.
  
  
• A quality environment in a County which recognises the vital interdependence between tourism, agriculture and the environment.
  
  
• Quality healthcare and a recognition of the importance of preventative health measures through healthy lifestyles.
  
  
• Co-ordination of social inclusion measures to make the spend go further in addressing the needs of our people.
  
  
• Development of sustainable enterprise within the County and targeted investment to the County.
  
  
• Recognising that there is a need to substantially improve the physical, access community and other infrastructure in the County.
  
  
• Marketing the county; playing to our strengths.
  
  
• Revitalising our rural areas through a spatial planning approach.
  

1.4 Our Work Methodology

The formulation of an integrated Strategy for the future development of the County is a complex and detailed task. The Board at its second meeting on 14th April 2000 agreed the structures for the development of the Strategy based on the initiation of four simultaneous Work Groups which were assigned the key issues being addressed in the Strategy.

Work Group 1 was assigned the broad areas of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Work Group 2 Social Inclusion Issues, Work Group 3 Education, Training and Information and Communications Technology and Work Group 4 was assigned the issues of Enterprise, Infrastructure and Tourism. The membership of the Work Groups is contained in Appendix II.

Note: The Childcare priorities in this Strategy were developed by the Kerry County Childcare Committee.

The Work Groups commenced their work schedules in July 2000 and developed their strategies through detailed consultative processes. These processes included:

Meetings and consultations Organisations engaged in consultation Total person hours in developing the Strategy    (excluding full-time executive)

89 c.350 c.2500

Each Work Group was given the following remit:

"To prepare a recommendation to the Kerry County Development Board on the development of a County Kerry Strategy for Economic, Social & Cultural Development 2002 - 2011 for the specific issues assigned to the Work Group. For each issue:

1. Develop a vision of where County Kerry should be in relation to that issue.
2. Develop a realistic strategic objective for the issue.
3. Outline actions necessary to achieve strategic objectives.
4. Identify lead partners/organisations for each action.
5. Identify timescales for attainment of actions.

To facilitate the detailed considerations and deliberations of the Work Groups, consultants/facilitators were appointed. The consultant to Work Group 1 was the Kerry Local Development Consortium, Work Group 2 Development Solutions Ltd., Work Group 3 Strategic Project Partners and Work Group 4 Tourism Development International. The importance of a quality environment in the County necessitated the establishment of an Environment Work Group which was facilitated by Environmental Resource Management (ERM) Consultants (see Appendix II)

The methodology adopted by the Work Groups extended to direct consultations with organisations not directly involved through the Kerry County Development Board structures. It was possible, in this way, to spread the net to a wider group and to seek to influence the Strategy through informed and constructive dialogue.

In January 2001, the Board established a Monitoring Group which consists of the Chairs of the Work Groups, a nominee from each of the Work Groups and the Chair of the County Development Board.

The remit of the Monitoring Group is to integrate and ensure consistency between the deliberations and outputs of the Work Groups, to guide the Board in its overall task throughout the strategic development process and to guide the Board in overseeing the implementation of the Strategy.

The Board recognises, in its aims and philosophy, that the development and implementation of the Strategy must be carried out in agreement with the people of the County. In order to develop a structure for the co-ordinated and effective consultation with Community & Voluntary organisations, a County Kerry Community & Voluntary Forum was established in January, 2000 consisting of 22 persons from various locations throughout the County (see appendix III). The Forum was established following consultation and meetings with Community & Voluntary Organisations in the following areas: Tralee, Killarney, Listowel, Dingle, Rathmore, Castleisland, Killorglin, Caherciveen and Kenmare. The Forum nominates the Community & Voluntary representatives to the Board and its Work Groups and advises the Board on matters directly relevant to that sector.

In December 2001 a draft of this Strategy was launched together with a detailed and inclusive public consultation process. The submissions from this phase were considered by the Board at their February 2002 meeting (see appendix IV).

While the Board has complied with the eight step process set out in the Interdepartmental Task Force guidelines (A Shared Vision, May 2000) this additional step adopted by the Board has raised the general awareness of what this Strategy is seeking to achieve while ensuring a real opportunity for people to have their say in the development of the County over the next ten years.

The following documents have been prepared to support the development of this Strategy: