The November meeting of the Academy Western Region took place at the PorterShed in Galway on 20th November 2025 followed by lunch in Kirwin’s Lane.
The PorterShed is very much about the creation of high-value sustainable jobs that have a positive impact on Galway and its hinterland. The PorterShed welcomes companies from indigenous start-ups to multinational companies who are looking to launch a base in the west of Ireland. It is located across two buildings in the city centre area and it currently hosts in excess of sixty companies. The facility features state-of-the-art meeting rooms, privacy booths, and spaces for collaboration. It is open for all manner of events, from tech-focused meet-ups to community events like art exhibitions.
The Western Region group had a very instructive tour of the facilities and also got to meet with the CEO, Mary Rodgers.
There were some instructive discussions on the challenges for tech-sector start-ups in the west of Ireland. The PorterShed clearly is a very impressive facility, and it plays a very important role in the growth of the Galway area.
Academy Special Advisor Tom Leahy attended and discussed the importance of communication between the IAE and its members. He highlighted the fact that 40 short newsletters have been circulated in the last 18 months. There is no doubt that this adds significantly to the flow of information.
Tom discussed the IAE objective of increasing female membership, which currently stands at a 14.5% share. This has been increasing steadily in recent years and the plan is the further grow this number in the years ahead. Each region has been asked to propose new female members in the coming months.
The next meeting of the Western Region will take place in Limerick in the latter part of February 2026. This will be a joint meeting with the Southern Region and will involve a meeting in Limerick and a site visit to Dell.
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The November meeting of the Southern Region took place on the 25th November 2025 at 11.00 followed by lunch in Helena’s Restaurant in the Imperial Hotel.
President Sean Finlay, Hon. Sec. Joe Harford and Special Advisor Tom Leahy attended the meeting. Tom reported on Academy progress based on his report to the Council meeting of 23 October 2025.
The highlight was a Presentation by Eamonn O’Reilly on the IAE Energy Report “Rebalancing Ireland’s Energy Policy- The Energy Trilemma – Project Delivery – Authority & Accountability”. This was followed by an update on Southern Region Work Programme 2024/25 including Atlantic City Regions/National Backhaul Network /Ireland’s Ports-Supporting Offshore Wind Development.
Key headline Academy activities planned for 2026 include:
- Establishment of an Academy Eastern Region with a launch on 8th January 2026 at 5.30 pm in Clyde Road including a presentation by the Chair of the Accelerating Infrastructure Task Force (AITF).
- Euro CASE conference 2026 in Belfast from 18-20th November 2026 jointly hosted by IAE and RAE.
We take this opportunity to thank all our Patrons and Fellows, whose voluntary efforts continue to provide thought leadership in times of great change.
Academy news bulletin 18 December 2025- Christmas celebarations after a busy year