Mary Robinson Climate conference coming to Mayo Town

The Mary Robinson Centre, in partnership with the University of Galway and Mayo County Council, is set to host the third annual Mary Robinson Climate and Nature Conference on May 26 and 27 in Ballina, the hometown of Ireland’s first female president and a globally respected voice for climate justice.

This year’s conference, themed “Courage in Crisis”, will bring together a powerful mix of climate justice advocates, scientists, activists, community groups, and policymakers from Ireland and abroad. The event will tackle the pressing and intertwined challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, with an emphasis on collective action and local-global solidarity.

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Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the event as a call to action: “The Mary Robinson Nature and Climate Conference will centre on a call to courage in the face of the climate and nature crisis, a crisis that touches every part of our shared world. In these urgent times, it is through meitheal, the Irish tradition of coming together in collective effort, that we find strength, purpose and hope.”

The two-day event will feature keynote speeches from influential figures such as Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (DCU), ecologist and broadcaster Anja Murray, youth activist Dearbhla Richardson, and climate scientist Professor Hannah Daly (UCC). Also speaking are international experts like Professor Navjot Bhullar (University of Canberra) and Dr Omnia El Omrani (Global Climate and Health Alliance).

Alongside the talks, the programme includes workshops, panel discussions, art exhibitions, walks in local woodlands, and community gatherings—many of which are free and open to the public.

Dr Caitríona Carlin, co-chair of the conference and a researcher at the University of Galway, highlighted the significance of expanding the conference’s scope: “This is the first year the event is formally titled the Climate and Nature Conference. That shift matters—it reflects the deep interconnection between environmental and human wellbeing. Actions for climate and for nature are ultimately actions for ourselves.”

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Dr Sinéad Sheehan, fellow co-chair, emphasized community involvement: “This year, while we are bringing the conference to Ballina, we also want to bring Ballina to the conference! From art and eco-walks to music and storytelling, the town’s culture and activism will be at the heart of it all.”

Sustainability lecturer and co-chair Dr Alma Clavin added: “Ballina and County Mayo are home to inspiring community-led sustainability initiatives and rich biodiversity. This conference creates space for those doing the work to be heard and supported.”

Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, who hails from County Mayo, expressed her excitement about participating: “There are wonderful examples of nature being valued and protected across the county. Mary Robinson has been such a role model and it’s a privilege to contribute to this conference celebrating her work.”

Professor Hannah Daly echoed this sentiment, noting the former president’s legacy: “Mary Robinson has brought moral clarity to the climate crisis like few others. It is an honour to give a keynote address at a conference so rooted in justice and action.”

The 2025 conference is made possible through sponsorship from the University of Galway, Sunflower Foundation, Mayo County Council, Eirgrid, Fáilte Ireland, FutureEnergy, and IBP Insurance.

For the full programme and to explore public events, visit maryrobinsoncentre.ie/agenda.html