Northern & Western Regional Assembly

19/12/2025

Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, provides a range of practical support and advice to Irish tourism businesses.

19/12/2025

The NWRA was delighted to support the Connaught Ulster Regional Session of the European Youth Parliament Ireland 2025 which took place at the of Galway from the 7-9th November 2025.

NWRA Cathaoirleach . Micheal Frain addressed over one hundred 4th, 5th and 6th year second level students from all across Connacht and Ulster and spoke about his role as an Elected Member and his involvement in local and regional community projects and initiatives.

Cllr Frain highlighted the vital role young people play in shaping the future of our region and encouraged participants to make their voices heard through active engagement in debates and public consultations.

The three-day event was expertly organised and coordinated by Ella Joyce and Órlaith Nugent on behalf of .

Read more above the event on our website: https://www.nwra.ie/nwra-supports-connaught-ulster-regional-session-of-the-european-youth-parliament/

19/12/2025

Earlier this month, NWRA’s Caroline McGowan and John Daly attended the 2nd RuralProof - Interreg Europe Interregional Meeting and Study Visit in Latvia. 🇱🇻

Alongside project partners and stakeholders, they discussed the significant challenges facing rural communities and exchanged Good practices from different regions which help drive regional development. Collaborative learning like this is key to finding sustainable solutions for our rural areas.

17/12/2025

17/12/2025

17/12/2025

We were delighted to sponsor Emma and Lara on their educational trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg! 🇪🇺
Check out the full story of their visit on our website: https://www.nwra.ie/nwra-sponsors-winners-of-graduate-ie-programme-on-educational-trip-to-european-parliament/

Our 5th Year students Emma and Lara had a wonderful time in Strasbourg, which they won by taking part in the weekly graduate.ie quiz last year. During their trip they took part in a youth parliament at the European Parliament with students from across EU member states. Thanks to for sponsoring the trip. A great time was had by all.

16/12/2025

At the December Assembly meeting, Milo Kilgallon, a second-level student from Summerhill College Sligo, spoke to NWRA members about his experience on an educational trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg as part of Graduate programme.

The trip, which took place in the second week of December, included 22 students who earned their place by completing a quiz on the Graduate.ie website. The programme is sponsored by Public Bodies, including the Northern and Western Regional Assembly.

Milo expressed his gratitude to the Assembly for their sponsorship, which made this opportunity possible.

The Northern and Western Regional Assembly also sponsored Eilis Taheny (St Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen) and Emma Geraghty (Loreto College, Cavan), who also participated in the trip.

Pictured in the first photo: Cllr Michael Clarke, Cllr Donal Gilroy (Cathaoirleach of Sligo CoCo), Milo Kilgallon, Cllr Micheal Frain (Cathaoirleach of NWRA) and Martin Heneghan (Graduate.ie Programme Coordinator).

Read more about the Graduate.ie December 2025 educational trip to Strasbourg on the NWRA website:
https://www.nwra.ie/nwra-sponsors-winners-of-graduate-ie-programme-on-educational-trip-to-european-parliament/

16/12/2025

The IREO (Irish Regions European Office) was delighted to host President Kata Tüttő’s recent visit to Ireland. This timely and important engagement highlighted Ireland’s evolving role within the European Union and the value of continued dialogue with regional and local partners across Europe.

Read more about the visit on the Irish Independent: www.independent.ie/storyplus/what-president-kata-tuttos-visit-really-means-for-irelands-future-in-europe/a1047126469.html
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly
Southern Regional Assembly

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15/12/2025

– 6th Call for Projects: Deadline 2 February 2026, 12noon CET

2nd February may seem far away, but in reality, it’s just around the corner!
Now is the perfect time to fine-tune your application and make sure you are on the right track.

What you can do right now:

🎥 Watch our tutorial: “10 Things to Improve Your Application” 👉 https://youtu.be/1nW70eHQ5jI

🤝 Double-check that you’ve engaged the right actors and partners 👉 https://www.interreg-npa.eu/news-events/how-to-build-impactful-projects/

📅 Save the date: 14 January for our Open Q&A Session with the Joint Secretariat 👉 https://www.interreg-npa.eu/news-events/online-questions-and-answers-session-for-applicants/

🔍 Explore https://keep.eu/ to avoid duplication with previously funded projects, or to find that one partner you might still be missing.

Take advantage of these resources and give your proposal the best possible chance. We look forward to receiving your applications! 🚀

09/12/2025

Last week NWRA staff Caroline McGowan and John Daly attended the 2nd Interregional Meeting, and Study Visit for the RuralProof - Interreg Europe project held on the 3rd & 4th December 2025 in Latvia. It was an incredibly productive and inspiring two days.

The agenda focused on several key elements of the project’s progress and future direction, including: Stage 1 activities, status quo analysis and stakeholder engagement and planning for upcoming project actions.

Some of the highlights of the trip included, the study visit to Zaļenieki Parish in the Zemgale Planning Region, the partners and stakeholders learned about their ambitious Smart Village vision: to build an active, empowered community capable of creating an attractive, sustainable, and high-quality living and working environment.

The visit also provided valuable insight into local innovation and rural entrepreneurship, from wine production to inventive speciality food products made from pine cones. The creativity and dedication was inspiring.

A special thanks to the project’s Latvian partners for hosting the event with such warmth. The hospitality, excellent organisation, and fantastic local food made the experience not only meaningful but genuinely memorable.

Interreg Europe

08/12/2025

Driving innovation across the Northern Periphery & Arctic region!
The INNOCAP project, funded by the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, shows what’s possible when partners unite to tackle shared challenges and deliver solutions.

Local & Regional Governments and universities joined forces to boost public sector innovation—upskilling teams and launching digital pilot projects that make a real difference.