NEWS

'Utterly effervescent, full of humour and written with a deceptively light touch', those were the words of co-adjudicator Barbara Millar on the final evening of the Young Ireland Programme when she named Eoin Heffernan (The Courts Service) as Ireland Young Thinker of the Year 2022. Eoin's paper on food waste was well-researched, had many memorable phrases and was delivered in a disarmingly relaxed style, she said.

Louise Banable (Department of Social Protection) was runner-up, Dominika Brodzisz (Department of Environment, Climate and Communications) and Tracy Dineen (Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media) were highly commended, and Kieran Boyle (Department of Justice) and Stephen Frain (Department of Foreign Affairs) were commended. Click here for photos.

Looking ahead to the Autumn in this, our 20th anniversary year, the season kicks off with the Young Scotland Programme (13 to 16 September at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel in Polmont, Falkirk). Click here for brochure and booking form. This will be followed by the Young England and Wales Programme (11 to 14 October at Lancaster House Hotel, Lancaster). Click here for brochure and booking form.