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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council chief executive Marie Ward is among the panel speakers at today's 29 June Shared Island Forum at the Windmill Quarter in the Dublin Docklands. The event, hosted by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, will see more than 220 political, civic, community and economic stakeholders from all over Ireland gather to discuss progress on the Shared Island Initiative.
Other panel speakers at the forum include Tim Murphy, Head of Port Engineering at Port of Cork, John Glass, Director of Infrastructure and Projects at Translink, and Julie Thompson, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland. Also taking part are Kieran Donoghue, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland, Lynn Scarff, Executive Director of the Royal Irish Academy, Michele Bryans, Chief Executive of EastSide Partnership, and Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive of Maritime Belfast Trust.
The line-up also features Gabija Gataveckaite, Dublin Correspondent for BBC News, Irish Michelin star winning chef Enda McEvoy, and playwright Rosemary Jenkinson. The forum is moderated by broadcaster Bryan Dobson and includes two panel discussions, one on the benefits, opportunities and challenges of investment in infrastructure and sustainability on the island of Ireland, and a second exploring the concept of "a shared home place" and what this can mean on a personal, local or island-wide level.
The event follows a recent Government announcement of a further €377 million in allocations to 12 major all-island investment projects, bringing total commitments from the Government's Shared Island Fund to date to €1 billion. Speaking ahead of the forum, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "At the Shared Island Forum today, I will be setting out the sustained progress we have made since I established the Government's Shared Island Initiative nearly six years ago, and the important work underway in connecting people and communities across the island.
"Following Government approval last week of allocations of over €377 million from the Shared Island Fund, our total commitments from the fund are now more than €1 billion, with nearly 50 major Shared Island projects underway. This is tangible investment for the future of the island.
"All-island cooperation is deepening across virtually every sector. From enterprise and education to research, tourism and climate action, Shared Island programmes are enabling partners to work together more effectively, deliver greater impact and create lasting benefits for communities across the island.
"We are also advancing the next chapter of our dialogue strand through the Shared Home Place programme, which I announced last year. New programme elements are now being rolled out through the Heritage Council, Coimisiún na Meán, Creative Ireland, and through the Diaspora Voices initiative led by our Mission Network. These programmes will offer opportunities to explore the diverse heritage, history and culture of our island home and invite reflection on what a shared home place means for people across the island today, and what it could mean in the future.
"As Ireland takes up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union later this week, the forum also provides an opportunity to reflect on the role of the EU over decades and to this day, in supporting peace and prosperity across the island of Ireland, including through successive PEACE programmes."
The forum also features a musical performance by young songwriters and musicians as part of Music Generation's Isle of Song project. A new online Shared Island Research repository, bringing together over 50 publications under the initiative to date, is being launched at www.gov.ie/sharedisland to coincide with the event, which is also being livestreamed online at www.youtube.com
