Northern & Western Regional Assembly

13/10/2026

📣 Week 5 is now LIVE!

Open to second-level students across Ireland — test your knowledge, take part and be in with a chance to become one of this year’s winners.
Best of luck to everyone taking part this week!

WWW.GRADUATE.IE
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The Graduate.ie programme is sponsored by:
European Parliament
Tipperary County Council
Southern Regional Assembly
Leitrim County Council
Mayo County Council
Louth County Council
Fingal County Council
Health and Safety Authority
Roscommon County Council
Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment
Northern & Western Regional Assembly
Communicating Europe
Cavan County Council
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly
Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Fáilte Ireland
Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman - FSPO
CCPC

09/10/2026

Minister James Browne TD launches €34 million Social Housing Scheme

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, today launched the new €34 million ERDF Social Housing Scheme for the Northern and Western Region.

Co-funded by the 🇮🇪 🇪🇺 Government of Ireland and the European Union, the scheme will help bring vacant and derelict Local Authority-owned buildings back into use as modern, energy-efficient social homes.

An initial €17 million has already been awarded to five Local Authorities, supporting projects that will deliver 60 social homes.

The investment supports housing delivery, town and village regeneration, improved accessibility and climate action across the Northern and Western Region.

https://www.nwra.ie/e34-million-erdf-social-housing-scheme-launched-for-the-northern-and-western-region/

02/10/2026

🎉 35 years of ERNACT 🎉

🤝 This week marked 35 years of pioneering collaboration between Donegal County Council and Derry City & Strabane District Council

📣Stakeholders, beneficiaries and project partners from across Europe gathered in Letterkenny, this week, to celebrate ERNACT's impact in the region. Speakers highlighted the great reputation ERNACT has across the network. Contributors congratulated ERNACT on the various successful projects over the years and wished them continuing success.

📍NWRA National Contact Point Dr Travis O Doherty spoke as part of a panel discussion, he noted the eagerness of ERNACT to engage with funding opportunities which made them a great partner to work with.

🏞️ Priorities for the area may have changed over the years but it is clear that for ERNACT collaboration, innovation and integrity are still key. We look forward to working with them for many more years.

02/10/2026

Learn about the potential of small-scale hydropower, community energy and local climate action through this accessible short course at University of Galway.

Hear from local, national and international experts and discover how energy, environment, heritage and communities can come together to support climate action.

What you will explore:
✅ Renewable energy and climate action
✅ How small-scale hydropower works
✅ Galway’s canals, rivers and industrial heritage
✅ Environmental and community impacts
✅ Community energy and local sustainability
✅ Real-world examples from Galway and the EUI WATERWAY Project*
✅ Potential hydropower sites on a guided Galway waterways walking tour

Open to anyone interested in renewable energy, sustainability and climate action. No specialist knowledge of hydropower or engineering required.

📆 20th October – Tuesday evenings
⏰ 7.30pm – 9.00pm
📍 7 online sessions PLUS Saturday morning walking tour

Apply at: https://tinyurl.com/4d42y6ve

*The EUI WATERWAY project is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.

Galway City Council | Galway City Community Network
Northern & Western Regional Assembly

01/10/2026

📊 The Regional Development Monitor (RDM) has a new platform.

The Regional Development Monitor - delivered collaboratively by Ireland’s three Regional Assemblies and the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University with spatial infrastructure partners has moved to a new platform.

From 2 October 2026, the existing RDM website on Tailte Éireann’s GeoHive platform will no longer be available. The RDM is now accessible here 👉 https://hub.regionalmonitor.ie/

The RDM brings together a wide range of social, economic and environmental indicators, helping Government Departments, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, planners, policymakers, researchers and the public explore trends and understand how our communities and regions are changing over time.

✨ The new platform features:
• Improved navigation
• A new global geography filter on the National Census Map
• Instant map production for all regions and local authorities

Looking ahead, we plan to expand the data, services and tools available through the platform, further supporting the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) and wider forward planning across Ireland.

📌 We encourage everyone to explore the new Regional Development Monitor today https://hub.regionalmonitor.ie/

Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Southern Regional Assembly Maynooth University Central Statistics Office Ireland

01/10/2026

🌿 GREENHEALTH Good Practice Story – Outdoor Recreation

In Ireland, outdoor recreation is about much more than trails and activities. It is about communities, wellbeing, connection with nature and creating opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors.

🚵 From hiking and kayaking to exploring our natural landscapes, outdoor recreation can play an important role in supporting health and wellbeing, while also bringing communities together.

🏞️ In this Good Practice story from the GREENHEALTH-Interreg Europe project, Emma O’Hagan, Rural Recreation Officer at Leitrim Development Company, shares the story behind the National Trail Conference, an initiative that brought together volunteers, local communities, landowners and public organisations to celebrate outdoor infrastructure and recreational trails across Ireland.

The conference highlighted the many ways our outdoor spaces can bring people together, while also opening important conversations around accessibility, mental health and wellbeing.

30/09/2026

30/09/2026

🏞️ Slow Tourism: taking the time to experience a place

In a world that often feels like it’s moving faster every day, Slow Adventure Tourism offers a different approach, taking the time to connect with nature, local communities, landscapes and the places we visit.

🌳In this Good Practice story from the GREENHEALTH-Interreg Europe project, Leitrim County Council and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly are working together with partners to explore how protected areas and natural spaces can be managed in ways that support both biodiversity and human health and wellbeing. In this Good Practice story Sinéad McDermott shares how Slow Adventure Tourism demonstrates how encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors can go hand in hand with protecting and valuing the natural environment. A slower pace can help us appreciate the landscapes, communities and experiences that make our regions unique.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/t4BBvgt7VoY

29/09/2026

🎉Congrats to the NWRA Sponsored winner Annie O'Neill from Donegal. 🎉

We hope you enjoy your trip learning how the EU works to benefit all citizens.

If you are a second level student and want to be in with a chance of winning, follow the link to enter https://www.graduate.ie/

Congratulations to our week 2 winner:
Annie O’Neill - Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada, Arranmore

Prize Sponsored By:
Northern & Western Regional Assembly
www.graduate.ie
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The Graduate.ie programme is sponsored by:
European Parliament
Tipperary County Council
Southern Regional Assembly
Leitrim County Council
Mayo County Council
Louth County Council
Fingal County Council
Health and Safety Authority
Roscommon County Council
Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment
Northern & Western Regional Assembly
Communicating Europe
Cavan County Council
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly
Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Fáilte Ireland
Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman - FSPO
CCPC