4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing State Reception hosted by Minister of State Tom Kitt in Dublin Castle who gave this welcoming speech which I helped to write and awarded the best paper prize. Minister Kitt was introduced by Philip Nolan, UCD registrar.

Thank you very much for your generous welcome. In particular, I would like to thank the hosts of this prestigious event – The Systems Research Group, in University College Dublin – and, indeed, all the corporate partners that have made this event possible.

It is interesting, I think, that so many people from Ireland – academia and our public and private sectors – have come together to support the conference – and to engage with their international counterparts in exploring this fascinating concept – Pervasive Computing. I am delighted that Ireland is hosting this conference. It is fair to say – I think – that modern Ireland is a very good fit for this event – both in terms of logistics – and in our closeness to the central theme of the conference – integrating ICT into the everyday environment.

It is a particuar pleasure for me to have been invited to speak this evening – because, as Minister for the Information Society – I have a keen interest in how technology can be applied – how and where they can add value – how they can enhance productivity – and, I suppose, how they can improve the quality of life….

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