Welcome
"Cead Mile Failte" (pronounced 'Kaid-Mee-la-Fawl-teh')
"One Hundred Thousand Welcomes"
It is my very great privilege and pleasure to extend this traditional Irish welcome personally to you. As you may have heard, the next ESACT Meeting will be held in Dublin, Ireland. Indeed, it will be the 21st Meeting and held in the 21st Century. Twenty-one has a special meaning in Ireland as traditionally it is the age when children receive the “key to the door” from their parents. The key signifies trust and the transition from childhood to adulthood or “maturity” (some of us just get older!). For ESACT, this coming of age has shown incredible developments over the last few decades in the technology which ESACT represents. It is therefore appropriate for us to reflect a little on our past and extrapolate the advancement that has been accomplished into the future. We will examine where our technological progress has found application in our own and related fields, and examine how this might prepare us for moving forward into the future. To this end our expert Scientific Committee, Chaired by and in the capable hands of Nigel Jenkins, has prepared what I believe is an excellent scientific programme for ESACT 2009. This will be filled with equally excellent invited speakers and presenters who are in advance of their fields. Added to that, and only surpassed by the quality of science and the class of the exhibitors’ stands, we have prepared exciting and entertaining social get-togethers that are topped with good food and better beverages! You will forgive me if I am not more explicit but we would like to keep that element of surprise for you. In any event, we will hope to welcome you with the warmth of “One hundred thousand welcomes”. June is usually a good month in Ireland weather-wise but anyway don’t worry, be happy; the sunshine is in the smile!
Michael Comer
Head of Research, Fighting Blindness Vision Research Institute,
Chair of ESACT Organising Committee