A Summer School with a Difference
Full day event, with discussions, interviews, comedian and live music!
Abbey Hotel, Galway Road, Roscommon Town, F42 F992
Sunday, 2nd August 2026
11am – 11pm
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Join us for a discussion about where Ireland is and where Ireland is going
Forty years ago this summer, the great Irish writer Desmond Fennell travelled across Connacht. His reflections about the province were to be expressed in his subsequent book, ‘A Connacht Journey,’ which asked questions about where Connacht and Ireland were going.
On August 2nd, ‘A Connacht Gathering’ will be taking place in the Abbey Hotel in Roscommon town. This will be an Irish Summer School with a difference, featuring speeches, interviews and interactive discussion panels on the key questions facing Ireland: political, cultural, social and economic.
We will be bringing together top-speakers like Dr. Eoin Lenihan, Niall Boylan, Stella O’Malley, Larissa Nolan, Cormac Lucey, Paddy Cullivan, Deputy Ken O’Flynn, Niamh Uí Bhriain, Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne, David Quinn and many more besides. Just as importantly, ‘A Connacht Gathering’ will be an opportunity to form new friendships and to renew old ones, including during an evening of live (and lively) entertainment.
We want you to be a part of the most exciting gathering in recent times.
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Venue
Abbey Hotel, Galway Road, Roscommon Town, F42 F992
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Get your Tickets
Tickets are on sale now on EventBrite
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Sessions and Discussions Panels
Throughout the Summer School event, attendees will be treated to a wide variety of contributions, including a live recording of ‘The Niall Boylan Podcast’ and a discussion about Dr. Eoin Lenihan’s ‘Vandalising Ireland’ bestseller hosted by Gript’s Niamh Uí Bhriain.
A number of interactive discussion panels will also take place during the weekend, on topics such as:
Why is Irish politics stuck?
Dramatic changes have taken place in the Western democracies and more broadly in recent years, and yet Irish politics remains remarkably stable. The centre has held, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have retained their dominant position, alternative political options have struggled to emerge and there is no sign that a major vibe shift is likely soon. In a world of flux, why does Ireland stand apart? And is this stability something to celebrate, or something to lament?
The Irish History Wars
Irish history is a battlefield, where truth sometimes becomes a casualty. Debates about the independence struggle between revisionists and counter-revisionists have not ended, and as discussion about the possibility of Irish reunification intensifies, so too will discussion of the past and how it divides us. Meanwhile, what some regard as the demonisation of Catholic Ireland’s past shows no sign of abating, long after the political power of the Church has collapsed. Will this ever end, and will a balanced view of Irish Catholicism ever be allowed to come into existence?
‘The Best is Yet to Come,’ or an Ireland without the Irish?
Ireland’s economy continues to roar. The country enjoys full employment, high growth and enormous budget surpluses. Yet this prosperity cannot mask the stark demographic realities before us, as fertility rates collapse and people find it harder and harder to form families. Ireland’s population is growing, but so is the percentage of the population who call somewhere else home, and some fear that the country’s identity is being changed at an unprecedented pace. Meanwhile, battles rage over energy taxes and climate policy. What will Ireland look like a generation from now?
Desmond Fennell’s ‘Connacht Journey’
Desmond Fennell has been called the philosopher of Irishness, and he was heavily involved in Gaeltacht activism during his many years living in Connemara. Detailing his 1986 trip, Fennell wrote that he was struck by the mythologising of Connacht as “the real Ireland preserved in amber.” As the renewed interest in Fennell’s work continues to develop, what lessons can we draw from his life and work, as Ireland continues to struggle with the questions he long wrestled with?
A full agenda, timetable and speaker details will be added in the coming days and weeks
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Possible Accommodation
Abbey Hotel, Galway Road, Roscommon Town, F42 F992
Hannons Hotel, Athlone Road, Acres, Co. Roscommon
Jacksons Accommodation, Market Square, Roscommon
Gleesons, Market Square, Roscommon
Tatlers Guesthouse, Roscommon Town
Grange Lodge Self Catering, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon
Ross House B&B, Convent Road, Roscommon Town
Coachman’s Inn, Roscommon Town
Kilronan Castle Self-Catering, Boyle, Co. Roscommon