Newry represented at first-ever 'Summit of the Cities'

Newry City was represented at the inaugural Summit of the Cities in Belfast, where civic leaders from all 12 cities on the island of Ireland met for the first time. Councillor Doire Finn, Deputy Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down Council, attended on behalf of Newry City and met with the island's eleven other Mayors.

The 12 cities are Armagh, Bangor, Belfast, Cork, Derry, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Lisburn, Newry and Waterford

The summit, held 24 June, brought civic representatives together to discuss shared challenges and opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and partnership between urban centres in Ireland. Marie Ward, Chief Executive of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, took part in a panel discussion alongside former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Belfast City Council Chief Executive John Walsh, and Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare.

Civic leaders, policymakers, business representatives, academics and international experts travelled to Belfast for the event, representing cities from Waterford City, Ireland's oldest city, to Bangor its newest. Discussion topics included arts and culture, cross-border trade, housing and regeneration, and smart cities and AI. The summit also featured international speakers including Bill de Blasio and former Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary Sue Gray, who shared insights from their experience in city government and public administration.

Nearly 250 people attended the event, which included an address from David Skaith, the directly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. The summit was supported by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, BCF Lending, Ards and North Down Borough Council, Belfast City Council, Intertrade Ireland, NIE Networks and Queen's University Belfast.

Carl Whyte, Partner at MW Advocate and one of the summit's organisers, said: "With a combined population of nearly 2 million people, Ireland's twelve cities are its cultural, social and economic heart and bringing them all together today for this historic event marks the start of a new era of friendship and collaboration.

"From cities with populations in the hundreds of thousands and budgets measured in the hundred millions, to smaller cities whose names are woven through our history, our cities face many of the same challenges and opportunities. What unites everyone here today is that we all want the cities of our island to be the best places in Europe to live, work and visit."

Organisers confirmed plans to hold the summit annually, with Whyte adding: "What's clear is the energy and commitment of those leading cities to drive their success and for that reason we'll be announcing plans for the Summit of the Cities 2027 later in the year."