The Irish delegation took part in the 50th Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (31 March – 2 April 2026), a key European forum bringing together local and regional representatives to debate the big issues facing communities across Europe.
Representing Ireland at Congress were Head of Delegation Cllr. Jimmy Moloney, Cllr. John Crowe, Cllr. Gobnait Ní Mhuimneacháin, and Cllr. Aisling Moran, alongside Irish Youth Delegate Rayaa Onog. The delegation was supported throughout the session by Delegation Secretary and AILG Executive Director Tommy Moylan, with AILG President Cllr. Mary Hanna Hourigan also in attendance supporting the delegation’s work and engagement.
It was a particularly successful Congress for the Irish delegation, with Cllr. Jimmy Moloney elected as Vice President of the Congress Monitoring Committee, and Cllr. John Crowe elected as Vice President of the Governance Committee, strong recognition of Ireland’s contribution to the work of the Congress.
The Irish delegation was active across a number of key debates during the week with Cllr’s Moloney and Ní Mhuimneacháin delivering monitoring reports where they were rapporteurs. Our Irish Youth delegate, Rayaa Onog has the honour of making the key youth delegate contributions to the debate on access to healthcare under pressure, where she highlighted the growing strain on health systems due to population growth, ageing demographics and recent global challenges such as COVID-19 and the Ukrainian refugee crisis. A strong Irish message was delivered on the need to move beyond overly centralised models, and to empower local and regional authorities to play a greater role in delivering community-based healthcare solutions.
The delegation also contributed to the debate on the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at local level, emphasising that rights must be “practical and effective” in people’s daily lives. From an Irish perspective, this included highlighting the need for stronger resourcing of local authorities, particularly in areas such as disability inclusion, noting that only a limited number of local authorities currently have full-time Disability Access Officers.
More broadly, the Congress agenda focused on major themes including local democracy, social rights, AI in local government, election observation, and protecting elected representatives, as well as continued support for Ukraine and the role of local government in reconstruction and recovery. The Congress provides an important platform for Irish councillors to engage with European colleagues, share experiences and ensure that Ireland’s local government voice is heard at European level. AILG will continue to support the delegation in its work at the Congress and through its ongoing engagement at European level.
