IDP brings Inishowen voice to meeting with New NI Secretary of State
“We were delighted to meet with Secretary of State Chris Bryant and Minister Sarah Owen MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Northern Ireland”
Community and Voluntary groups from Inishowen and Derry were united this week as they addressed key issues affecting the North West during a meeting with the newly appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant and Under-Secretary Minister Sarah Owen MP.
The engagement, hosted by the Holywell Trust, brought together community leaders from across the region to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the North West.
Discussions focused on the need for greater regional balance, increased investment in infrastructure and sustainable development, while ensuring environmental protection remains a priority.
Representing Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP), Joint CEO Shauna McClenaghan said the meeting offered a valuable opportunity for community and voluntary leaders to discuss both the opportunities and challenges facing the North-West region at this critical time.
“We were delighted to meet with Secretary of State Chris Bryant and Minister Sarah Owen MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Northern Ireland thanks to the invitation extended by our cross-border partners, the Holywell Trust in Derry,” explained Shauna.
“We were joined by representatives from several organisations, including the Playhouse, Derry, The Junction, and Reach Across. Our collective insights highlighted both the challenges and the huge potential of the North-West region.”
From the perspective of cross-border collaboration, Shauna emphasised IDP's thirty years of dedicated work in peacebuilding and community development, describing Inishowen as a historical safe space for cross-community collaboration.
She reiterated that the impact of the Troubles affects many families across Inishowen, highlighting the importance of addressing these historical legacies as the Secretary of State prioritises the Legacy Bill in his new role.
IDP’s Joint CEO also highlighted the importance of stimulating the local economy, addressing youth emigration, supporting self-employment, leveraging local heritage, and investing in infrastructure for sustainable growth in the region.
She also highlighted the potential to further unlock Donegal’s blue and green natural resources for health, wellbeing, and tourism for the good of the North-West region.
Shauna was accompanied at the meeting by Myra McAuliffe, Project Coordinator of IDP's ChangeMakers Donegal, a project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Myra is also a member of the Leadership Collective, a lasting network of change-makers in the North West coordinated by the Holywell Trust.
Myra spoke about how the Leadership Collective is enabling cross-border partnership, collaboration and capacity-building in leadership in the community and voluntary sector in the North West.
Meanwhile, participants also highlighted Derry and Donegal’s peripherality from Stormont, Dublin, and London while underlining the resilience of the people, the vital impact of the community and voluntary sector, and the strength of cross-border partnerships.