Summer title heads to Dublin

Thirty-six delegates from Irish government departments and organisations came together last week (24 - 27 June) for our Summer Young Ireland Programme. The event was held at Western House Hotel in Ayr, Scotland.

The title, Ireland Young Thinker of the Year 2025, went to Cian Galvin of Dublin City Council, for his eloquent paper urging us all to embrace and make art – even if it is considered to be bad art. The adjudicator commented: 'This was an original paper… written with great personality and flair. Only you, a human, can create art, we were told. When the day comes and the opportunity presents itself, seize it enthusiastically and make bad art… Cian was a polished and stylish presenter, with excellent eye contact, steady delivery, good projection and effective use of pause and emphasis'.

The runner-up award went to Hugh Creaton of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for a well written paper on the worrying introduction of increased surveillance and facial recognition technology in policing. The adjudicator said: ‘There was much evidence of careful research in this paper. He used excellent examples of when the tech gets it wrong, giving a much needed human dimension to the argument. Hugh was a confident and composed presenter, with steady delivery and good eye contact’.

The winning group in the Group Challenge were Group E (Hugh Creaton, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Cathy Kinnarney, Sport Ireland; David Lennon, Department of Children, Disability and Equality; and Sara-Marie Lynch, Leitrim County Council). Their presentation was on the concept of 'community'. The team used their six minutes to really examine their concept, through both space… and time. Showing great team work and role play, they showed us what community was, is and could be.

Thank you to all delegates for their hard work and enthusiasm. The organising team were impressed by the level of support and encouragement that was shown throughout the event.

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