Open-access broadband provider SIRO has been announced as a sponsor of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann as part of the rollout of its 100% fibre-optic gigabit broadband network.
Ennis was the 10th town that SIRO went live in, with services live in 12 towns and under construction in an additional 8 towns across Ireland thus far.
SIRO will support performances taking place in Cois na hAbhna, including numerous céilí, the concertina competitions, a traditional step dancing workshop and the prize winners concert, as well as sponsoring the Senior Céilí Band Competition on Sunday 20th August.
In the run-up to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, SIRO will be giving away tickets to numerous events on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages. SIRO will also give people the chance to experience its Gigabit broadband service during the course of the festival.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Stephen O’Connor, Director of Corporate Affairs with SIRO, said: “As an Irish company at the forefront of supporting regional Ireland, we are proud to support Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. This year’s festival is set to be the most successful Fleadh to date and we are pleased that we can repay the support that we have received from the people of Ennis with the rollout of our 100% fibre-optic Gigabit broadband network by helping the event reach a wider audience.”
“We are delighted that SIRO has come on board with others to support us in hosting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August. At a time when broadband connectivity is essential for Ireland’s future growth, SIRO – a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone – is bringing high speed broadband to Ennis resulting in a boost for local business. The Fleadh Committee is delighted that Ennis is to be catapulted to the forefront of broadband connectivity with the recent SIRO announcement that the county capital is Ireland’s latest Gigabit Town,” said the Chair of the Fleadh Executive Committee, Frank Whelan.
Construction on SIRO’s 100% fibre-optic gigabit broadband network is currently underway in Ennis. Residents and businesses in Ennis will now be able to avail of SIRO’s Gigabit connectivity (1,000Mbps) which is three times faster than the best service available in Dublin and ten times more powerful than the fastest average internet speed in Ireland.
Using the existing ESB network, SIRO is delivered by fibre optic cables all the way to the building. This technology, known as Fibre-to-the-Building, has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network and delivers 1 Gigabit download and upload speeds. For context, when downloading a standard high definition film (4 Gigabytes) with a 10 Mbps connection, the average download time is an hour – with SIRO it takes approximately 30 seconds. Ennis residents or businesses who want a broadband connection powered by SIRO should contact Vodafone to discuss availability and pricing.