There’s nothing like going to an event you know only a little about and coming away from it convinced that the energy, creativity and dynamism of rural Ireland is a force to be reckoned with. Last week I got to go to two such events.

The first was in Newport, Co Mayo, where the irrepressible Sean Kelly’s business was the centre of attention. I’ve known Sean for a long time and he has done more than most to put Mayo on the food tourism map. His sausages and puddings are known across the country and beyond.

On Thursday, his business was designated an Économusée, which means there’s a cultural tourism dimension to the operation. Developed in Canada, the idea behind Économusée is that artisan producers tell the story of what they produce which fits in with the growing interest in food provenance. Congratulations to Sean and Teagasc for supporting the designation.

Then on Saturday I was in Buttevant, Co Cork, to help facilitate a grand crowd of people consider what it takes to develop a sustainable heritage tourism sector in small Irish towns.

For the past few years all you ever heard about Buttevant was the traffic jams, the potholes and roadworks that seemed to go on forever. But thankfully that’s all done with now and the town looks great, with fine street lighting and all the cables underground.

Buttevant has a well-documented historical past which the local heritage group can take a lot of credit for. It’s one of the few walled towns in the country and has a range of abbeys and castles within its hinterland.

With the announcement that the M20 is going ahead, the town will be by-passed so the aim of Saturday’s conference was to consider how to develop a sustainable heritage tourism product for the area.

I thought the selection of speakers was outstanding and their positivity towards both heritage and rural tourism had to be admired. I was impressed by Mark Ryland’s presentation on what’s happening in the Knockmealdowns and Suil Eile where walking is replacing the pub as the way for people to meet.

Triona McCarthy showed what could be done when small areas work together to tell their story. Be prepared to hear more about Munster Vales, which is a marketing concept they have developed.

Conor Nelligan, heritage officer with Cork County Council told the attendance that one in five community groups are working on heritage projects and they were biting at the bit to get going on multiple projects. “What’s the value of heritage,” he asked.

The answer: “Like asking the value of a beating heart.”

That tourism has the capacity to create jobs was clearly shown by Ballyhass Activity Centre which has created 65 seasonal and part-time jobs around local resources. Add in presentations from Loop Head Tourism, the Abbeyleix Tourism Company and Cooley Peninsula and there was certainly plenty of information for the large crowd to consider.

Their deliberations were boosted by the attendance of Minister Heather Humphreys. Well done to Tom Blake, Ann Coughlan and all involved.

Finally, a big thank you to the services that stepped up in dealing with ex-hurricane Ophelia. I watched it from my kitchen and was very glad to be indoors.