NIRWN was delighted to welcome Uachtarán na hEireann, President Catherine Connolly to NIRWN HQ recently.

President Connolly took the time to listen to our members who spoke with such passion, honesty and generosity about their lives, their work and their communities. She heard about the issues that matter to them – sometimes difficult issues, sometimes deeply personal ones, but members also spoke with enormous pride about being rural and about the contribution they make every single day to the places they call home.

There were emotions running high at points – and in the midst of some very serious conversations, there was also plenty of laughter, plenty of stories and an awful lot of craic. That wonderful NIRWN combination of honesty, warmth, humour and sisterhood was very much in evidence.

A truly memorable day in the history of NIRWN.