Last Thursday, 10 April 2025, Irish Cycling Campaign attended the Shared Island Forum in St. Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle. We were invited along as an awardee of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund 2024, and as the national advocacy organisation for cycling in Ireland. Flying the ICC flag on the day was Dr. Damien Ó Tuama, our National Cycling Coordinator. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was the keynote speaker and he explained the Shared Island Initiative as a suite of projects where we are “building relationships while we are busy doing other things”. In Irish Cycling Campaign’s case, we are running a project entitled “Cycling across borders – exchanging know-how between cycling advocacy organisations, North and South“ along with Cycling UK Northern Ireland as we reported on recently here. 

And as part of that project, we are delighted to be running a special session at the Leitrim Cycling Festival which takes place from 23-25 May 2025 – see https://leitrimcyclingfestival.com/ and the images below. Our Shared Island session will be at 2pm on the Saturday, details to be made available over the coming weeks.

We were glad to hear of active travel and greenway schemes referred to in both the Taoiseach’s formal address and in the ‘fireside chat’ with the event moderator Lynette Fay, a BBC radio and TV presenter. The Taoiseach also mentioned his desire to see a really iconic North – South greenway / active travel project developed. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Lynette Fay at the fireside chat in Dublin Castle

We were not sure if he was referring to schemes currently advancing or being enhanced in the Donegal / Derry area (see https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/north-west-greenway-network), those around the Carlingford area (https://www.carlingfordloughgreenway.ie/) or those associated with the Ulster Canal (see here for the details of the Ulster Canal Greenway Strategy) – or perhaps a newer proposal altogether? He also made reference to the Narrow Water Bridge, currently under construction, which will connect communities in the Omeath area of Co Louth with those in Narrow Water, Co Down. Either way, it’s great to see the appreciation of and support for the development of high quality cycling routes from the very top.

The remainder of the Shared Island Forum brought together a diverse array of traditional musicians and those involved in various community, cultural and research activities. The final session considered questions around climate, biodiversity and water, all of which are quintessentially cross border in nature, and where active travel and the decarbonisation of transport connect in. 

In conclusion, Irish Cycling Campaign was delighted to be there at the event, and to be meeting with representatives across the political, cultural, academic and advocacy realms, and building new connections, North and South. 

Note:
The ‘Shared Island Initiative Report 2024 – Action on a Shared Future’ sets out the fourth year of the Shared Island Initiative, and how the government has taken forward its commitment to engage with all communities and traditions to build a shared future on the island, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. The report was published on 10 April 2025 and is available at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/campaigns/shared-island/.

See page 47 of the report for a note on Irish Cycling Campaign and Cycling UK NI’s participation in Round 3 of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.

Well used bike-parking stands (of a minimalist design type) at the Lower Yard of Dublin Castle