As co-organiser of the first two Cork BarCamps, I’m thrilled to see the third one is happening next Saturday 14th Nov in the fabulous Cork International Airport Hotel. The able organisers this time around are Gordon Murray, Ciara Crossan and Ciara Feely.

BarCamp is one of those free conferences where you leave having gained far more from the day than you expect. It’s the serendipity that makes it special. I have built many friendships and business relationships with the people I meet there over the years.

Whilst it does have a technical intent, the talks that work best are those that intersect technology, design, business, society or fun.

Anyone can speak at a BarCamp on any topic. You just turn up, grab a spare slot and have your say. If no-one finds it interesting, you talk to yourself. If plenty find it interesting, they’ll overflow the room. I’ve seen both!

I hope to give a very quick chat about OpenStreetMap from an enthusiastic recent fan perspective rather than from any deep technical insight. Hope to see you there. Please register over on the site if you are coming so they know how many pizzas to order!