Sligo-Leitrim TD meets with 150 leaders in Sligo to shape the future of the West and Northwest

Sligo/Leitrim TD, Marian Harkin, Minister of State attended a meeting where the Western Development Commission (WDC) brought together over 150 local, regional and national leaders on Thursday, September 4, at The Model, Sligo for the Regional Resilience Summit. The event focused on shaping the future of Leitrim along with the rest of the West and Northwest of Ireland through joined-up thinking, collaboration, and long-term investment.

Under the theme “Regional Resilience: Building the Future Together,” the summit convened policy leaders, entrepreneurs, community innovators, and development partners to address the economic, social, and structural shifts impacting regional Ireland and to spotlight the role of leadership in unlocking collective progress.

Minister Harkin said: “The Regional Resilience Summit in Sligo has shown the strength, ambition, and innovation that exists right across the West and Northwest. This region has the talent, the ideas, and the community spirit to thrive and government will continue to support that energy through investment, infrastructure, and inclusive policy.

I commend the Western Development Commission for leading this vital conversation and for the work it does every day to drive sustainable growth in rural and regional Ireland. Resilience isn’t just about responding to challenges, it’s about building the kind of future we want together.”

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Hosted by broadcaster Andrea Gilligan, the event featured high-profile contributions from national and international thought leaders including Jim Power, economist, who delivered a keynote linking global economic policy with Ireland’s regional realities and outlined the imperative for targeted investment.

Claire Charbit of the OECD explored regional attractiveness, sharing global insights into how regions can position themselves to attract talent, investment, and innovation and Paddy Austin of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly provided a sharp overview of the West and Northwest’s regional policy priorities, challenging leaders to move beyond dialogue and into collaborative action.

Throughout the summit, the WDC showcased its strategic role in driving sustainable development, highlighting the impact of the Western Investment Fund, support for innovation and enterprise, hubs, investment in social enterprise, and its leadership in regional policy.

In his remarks, CEO Allan Mulrooney said: “The shocks will keep coming, from global trade shifts to climate change, but it is how we respond that will define us. Resilience is not about surviving the next crisis, it is about building a long term vision for the West and Northwest that strengthens communities, drives innovation and adds real value to Ireland.”

He emphasised that resilience is never the work of one organisation, but a collective effort that depends on government investment in infrastructure, SMEs and industry scaling innovation, communities and social enterprises building from the group up, academia providing skills and research, and the diaspora adding global reach and investment.

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“If we align our strengths and work together, we won’t just build resilience, we’ll redefine what’s possible for our region,” said Allan Mulrooney.