Stimulating start to the year in Ayr!

Western House Hotel in Ayr, Scotland, hosted our first Young Ireland Programme of 2026 last week (3 - 6 February). Twenty-nine delegates from Irish government departments and organisations took part in the event.

Brian O’Keeffe, of the Houses of the Oireachtas Service, won the title Ireland Young Thinker of the Year 2026, for a mature paper on the subject of deepfakes and democracy. He argued that Ireland should take the lead at an EU-level in countering deepfakes when it assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union later this year. The adjudicator commented: ‘There were many memorable turns of phrase, with welcome touches of humour, and the writing was stylish and enlightening. Brian was an accomplished presenter, with excellent eye contact, good variety of tone and steady delivery’.

The runner-up award went to Cormac Watson of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, for a well-researched and educational paper on the benefits of geothermal energy. The adjudicator said: ‘Cormac offered us solutions and strategy – and did so with passion and an impressive knowledge of the area at hand. He was a relaxed presenter, with good eye contact and measured delivery’.

The Winning Group in the Group Challenge was Group D (Amy Carter, Fingal County Council; Ross Creed, Department of Transport; Federica De Blasio, Department of Finance; Benjamin Morgan, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration). The group's well-executed presentation was on the concept of ‘respect'.

A special award for Best 90-Second Challenge was given to Sinead Carey of the Department of Transport. The challenge was to ask a question and answer it in 90 seconds without any notes. Sinead’s question was: Is a quick question ever actually quick? Her mini-presentation was fluent and entertaining.

Thank you to all delegates for their hard work and stamina!

The next Young Ireland Programme will be held in Ayr in June 2026. Bookings are already in for this popular event. To avoid disappointment, please see upcoming events and book now.