Congratulations to Catherine Connolly, Ireland’s new President. It’s an important moment for our country and one that feels like a call for change.
Many people see the result as proof that Ireland wants something different. Maybe that’s true but voting once, or even spoiling a vote in protest, won’t bring about the kind of change most of us are hoping for.
If this moment really marks a change, it’s just the start. What happens next depends on what we choose to do together.
Real change doesn’t come from politicians or social media debates. It starts in local communities, when people come together, talk honestly about the kind of future they want, and then roll up their sleeves to make it happen.
Before we can agree on what to change, though, we have to listen, really listen to one another. Every person’s story matters, and every voice has something to teach us.
I’d love to see young people get involved now, not to reject everything that came before, but to build on the good things they’ve inherited. The generation before them made incredible progress. They brought our small country to the world stage and opened opportunities we’d never imagined. We get to start from where they left off and decide what comes next.
We might communicate differently now with posts, comments, and DMs but real communication still happens face-to-face, in shared spaces, through real conversations. Commenting online isn’t the same as connecting.
Every big change starts small in local conversations, in listening, in showing up. Maybe that’s how real progress begins: not with slogans or protests, but with neighbours deciding what kind of place they want to build together.
So let’s start where we are. Join a conversation. Meet someone new. Share your idea for what could be better. That’s how we’ll turn this moment into something real, one conversation at a time.
And when you’re ready to go a little deeper, there’s already a space waiting for people who want to keep the talking going and start turning ideas into action.