Mary Robinson was in Ballina recently for the launch of the Mary Robinson Climate Conference:Communities Creating Change, to take place on July 6 and 7 in Ballina. Pictured at the launch are (from left): Laura Dixon, climate action officer, Mayo County Council; Susan Heffernan, project manager, Mary Robinson Centre; David Mellett, regional coordinator, Climate Action Regional Office – Atlantic Seaboard North; Mary Robinson; Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, president, University of Galway; Laura Smith, head of sustainability, IPB Insurance; Lisa Hallinan, project manager, Ballina 2023; Audrey Morley, assistant professor, School of Geography, Archaeology & Irish Studies, University of Galway and co-chair of the Mary Robinson Climate Conference 2023. Photo: Corinne Beattie

Mayo to host first Mary Robinson Climate Conference this summer

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Ballina 2023 and the Mary Robinson Centre, together with its partners Mayo County Council and University of Galway, have announced that the former President of Ireland will be the keynote speaker at the first Mary Robinson Climate Conference: Communities Creating Change in Ballina on Thursday, July 6, and Friday, July 7.

Supported by IPB Insurance, the conference is one of signature events in the year-long Ballina 2023 programme, and one of a series of events taking place in the lead up to the centre’s opening.

The programme will include a series of plenary sessions and panel discussions, and an eclectic programme of talks, workshops and field trips, to take place over two days across several different venues in Ballina.

Project manager with the Mary Robinson Centre, Susan Heffernan, said: “Climate change is the defining socio-economic force of the 21st century. The Mary Robinson Climate Conference is an inclusive, broad-reaching event bringing together voices from all sectors of academia and society to share climate experiences and discuss pathways for a sustainable future under the theme ‘Communities Creating Change’.”

Among the attendees at the event will be climate action officers from local authorities all around Ireland, and community will be to the fore, with a special conference rate available for local groups.

The event will also showcase the ‘Ballina – Ireland’s Greenest Town’ initiative, which is leading out on a number of projects locally to define a green future for the north Mayo capital, including public realm enhancements, biodiversity programmes and active travel development.

Ballina 2023 steering group member and CEO of local community development company Moy Valley Resources IRD, Annette Maughan, said: “As one of the signature events in the Ballina 2023 programme of events, we are excited that the Mary Robinson Climate Conference: Communities Creating Change will inform and inspire local communities, empowering them to seek meaningful ways of working together at a local and practical level to challenge climate change, in line with Ballina 2023’s legacy programme ambitions.”

Registration is open at www.maryrobinsoncentre.ie/climate-conference, and a full conference programme will be announced in May. For more information on the conference, and the Ballina 2023 programme of events, visit www.ballina2023.ie.

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