Changing Ireland

Twenty years ago, what were communities across Ireland talking about?

For this week’s look back through 25 years of Changing Ireland, we’ve opened Issue 19 – Autumn 2006.

Inside, people with disabilities were demanding “rights not charity”. Residents of Moyross were working to make sure their community’s voice was heard beyond negative headlines. Women in Wexford were coming together around equality, health and leadership. And in Donegal, a community project was showing that even an hour or two of volunteering could make a difference.

The issue also looked at the people doing community development work itself, reporting concerns around pay, pensions, sick pay and job security.

Twenty years on, some of the language has changed. But how much have the issues changed?

Which of these conversations do you think has seen the most progress since 2006 — and which are we still having today?

You can read all of our archive editions on our website through the link in our bio.

Well, that's a wrap from Changing Ireland at the National Ploughing Championships 2026! Lots of pics from today and yesterday. Delighted to meet Linda Sice Brogan from Galway City Partnership, Senator Joe Flaherty who is Fianna Fail spokesperson on community development, Robert McNamara, head of Comms in Cork County Council, Hussain Bakhshi from the Local Development Companies Network, and Joe Marken, head of operations with Scouting Ireland and many readers from around the country. We based ourselves in the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht's marquee where Minister of State Jerry Buttimer today greeted volunteers and staff from projects nationwide and staff from his Department. His energy is as powerful as the new generators he inspected that have been distributed around the country so that community centres are better prepared for storms in the future. And it didn’t rain!

What happens when architects decide that design should benefit people and planet, rather than being driven primarily by profit?

Five years ago, a group of friends came together in the west of Ireland to establish Accelerating Change Together (ACT) — an architecture practice with a difference. ACT operates as a social enterprise, using architecture and regenerative design to help communities create more sustainable places to live.

Since then, the team has worked on projects across Ireland, from plans for a circularity centre in Longford, where refurbished and recycled goods would take centre stage, to the award-winning Scotch House project in Ballina, which is looking at how existing town-centre buildings can be brought back into residential use while retaining their character.

As founder James McConville puts it, the idea behind ACT is essentially:

“Can you make design benefit people and planet?”

Their approach has earned national recognition, including Best Social Enterprise at the 2026 All Ireland Community & Council Awards.

But behind the awards is a bigger question about how we develop our towns and communities — and who that development is ultimately for.

Could putting people and communities at the heart of design help breathe new life into Ireland’s towns?

Read the full article through the link in our bio.

For this week’s look back through 25 years of Changing Ireland, we’ve opened Issue 18 – Summer 2006. And some of the conversations feel remarkably familiar.

The cover took readers to King’s Island in Limerick, where local children stepped into the shoes of Norwegian emigrants whose ship, the Hannah Paar, was forced to stop in Limerick in 1868. Through drama, the children explored a story of immigration, poverty, community and discrimination — themes the magazine noted were just as relevant in 2006.

Elsewhere, older people in Roscommon were challenging myths and stereotypes around ageing; Waterford Traveller CDP was calling for fairer media representation; and communities in Fatima were showing what it meant for local residents to have a real voice in regeneration.

There were also 450 women queuing for a community health evening in Wexford, while Family Resource Centres were preparing to reach the milestone of 100 centres nationwide by the end of the year.

And tucked into the issue was a line that still sums up community development rather well:

“Community development is a long-term process… there are no quick-fixes.”

Twenty years later, that feels worth remembering.

Which of these conversations do you think has changed the most since 2006 — and which are we still having today?

📖 Take a look back at Issue 18 and explore 25 years of Changing Ireland through the link in our bio.

Minister Jack Chambers and Minister of State Jerry Buttimer will today launch the annual report for the Government’s community-based, anti-poverty programme – the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP).

It is significant that Minister Chambers, responsible for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, will be joining Minister Buttimer who has special responsibility for Community Development and Charities, for the launch.

The programme makes a tangible difference and is considered excellent value for money and in past years it has exceeded its targets.

It supports:
• People living in disadvantaged communities;
• People impacted by educational disadvantage;
• People living in jobless households or households where the primary income source is low-paid and/or precarious;
• People who are long-term unemployed;
• People with a criminal history;
• Refugees;
• International Protection Applicants;
• Disabled People/People with Disabilities;
• Heads of One-parent Families;
• Travellers;
• Roma;
• Island residents.

The launch will take place in Fingal, Dublin, at the head office of Empower, one of 49 local development companies around the country that support the local delivery of SICAP.

Today’s launch is being organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and Pobal.

The annual report will provide an overview of the work carried out last year and provides information on supports provided to beneficiaries as well as progress through the year.

SICAP is managed by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each local authority area. It is implemented by local development companies. The programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF+ Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme 2021 to 2027.

A new guidebook by Dr Maura Adshead aims to make community research more accessible to the people who want to use it.

Doing Community Research, published in May, offers straightforward advice for community practitioners and academic researchers who want to work together. Created in partnership with The Wheel and published by Boru Press, it provides practical guidance on building partnerships, planning research and dealing with the challenges that arise along the way.

The book is written with the Irish community and voluntary sector in mind and includes real-world examples and links to open-access resources.

Dr Adshead is Professor of Politics and Public Administration and Head of Community Engagement at the University of Limerick. All profits from the €24.99 book will go towards funding a community research programme in UL.

Could better access to research help community groups make a stronger case for the changes they want to see?

📖 Read Allen Meagher’s full story on the Changing Ireland website through the link in our bio.

As Ireland takes on the EU Presidency, it’s worth remembering something we’re particularly good at — giving our time to our communities.

Almost 655,000 people in Ireland volunteered in 2025, contributing an estimated 7.5 million hours every month.

People in the West — Galway, Mayo and Roscommon — were the most likely to volunteer, while sporting organisations attracted the largest number of volunteers.

The figures also show an interesting link with working from home: people who sometimes or usually work remotely were more likely to volunteer than those who never do.

From Tidy Towns and sports clubs to charities and community organisations, volunteering remains a huge part of life in Ireland.

What keeps volunteering so strong in Irish communities — and what would encourage even more people to get involved?

📖 Read Owen Ryan’s full story on the Changing Ireland website through the link in our bio.

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