Lively start to 2025

It seems to be a tradition that our first two events of the year come immediately after dismal stormy weather – making the organisers a bundle of nerves! Delegates from Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland came together for three days of discussion, team work, speakers and challenges at Western House Hotel, Ayr, from 28-31 January 2025. A special thank you to all delegates for their warmth and enthusiasm!

On the final evening, the title Ireland Young Thinker of the Year 2025 was awarded to Seán O’Connor from the Central Statistics Office for a passionate paper on an often undiscussed drug epidemic: that of anabolic steroids. Jodie Homfray from National Records of Scotland won the Scotland and Northern Ireland Young Thinker of the Year 2025 title for a fascinating and controversial paper on the ownership of cultural artefacts.

The runners-up were Annie Sheehan, Houses of the Oireachtas, and Beth Lyttle, Northern Ireland Audit Office, for their papers on the status of the Irish language and organ donation, respectively.

The winning group in the Group Challenge were Jodie Homfray, National Records of Scotland; Alison McKeown, Cork City Council; Aaron Quinn, Department of housing, Local Government and Heritage; and Savannah Sutherland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Their examination of the concept of Identity was well-rounded and considered, with excellent role play and use of props.

A special award for the best 90-Second Challenge across both programme went to Aaron Quinn, who asked: Why is local history important? His presentation was engaging and lyrical. History isn’t a dusty book – it’s real people and their stories are our links to each other through time.

Our next Young Ireland Programme will take place in June. More information can be found on our Upcoming Events page. For Scotland and Northern Ireland, the next event will take place in November. Further information will follow soon.