DkIT Researchers Present at international tourism conference in Leeds
DkIT researchers Ben McCabe and Leandro Pessina recently presented at the ATLAS 2026 Conference hosted by the University of Leeds. The Conference Theme was Community, Collaboration and Co-creation in a Time of Crisis, which resonated with ongoing research in the Creative Arts Research Centre at DkIT that engages with transdisciplinary enquiry that critically considers creative arts, tourism and sustainability with a particular focus on the border region.
Leandro, who recently completed his PhD on music and tourism in Louth at DkIT, turned his attention to the musical traditions of Italy, identifying aspects of culture that could benefit from following similar developments to initiatives in Ireland, adapted to the Italian context. Critically, he demonstrated how tourism development must take into consideration the sustainability of tradition and the intrinsic value that exists in musical cultures, regardless of tourism.
Ben’s research interests are focused on environmental sustainability in the arts sector and the dense heatwave in the UK gave conference attendees an 'immersive experience' in climate change as they spoke to themes centred on tourism, environment and times of crisis. Ben’s paper entitled “Acts of Environmental Awareness as Community Resistance in Regional Theatres in Ireland”, placed a particular focus on An Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk and the Íontas Theatre and Community Centre in Castleblaney.
Ben and Leandro are supervised by Dr Adèle Commins, Dr Daithí Kearney, Dr Bridget Kelly & Dr Fergal O’Rourke at DkIT, and Dr Ioannis Tsioulakis at Queen’s University Belfast.
