Limerick hosts UNESCO Learning Cities event as part of 'Shared Island' initiative

LEARNING Limerick hosted a ‘Shared Island’ learning city exchange programme earlier this week for the Irish Network of Learning Cities (INLC) which includes Limerick, Dublin, Cork, Derry Strabane, and Belfast.

The three-day programme included a welcome reception in Shannon Rowing Club, a conference and site visits to centres of learning in Limerick.

Funded by the Shared Island Programme, the visit was supported by the Government through the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as well as the INLC.

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The programme supports projects and initiatives between Local Government partners North and South. Working with the support of all INLC partners, it involves a series of exchanges and consultation workshops in all five cities, culminating in a Learning City Conference in Derry in June. The project’s main goal is to support opportunities for cross-city learning exchange between the five INLC learning cities.

A conference took place on Tuesday morning as the main part of the Limerick programme. This provided an opportunity for the Irish Network and Learning Limerick members to interact with colleagues and the visiting speakers, to renew links with partners and colleagues, and forge some new ones.

Speaking at the event, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Francis Foley, said: “Limerick City and County Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the other four cities in the Irish Network in May 2022. This is an important agreement to commit each city to work together and provide mutual support to help deliver on the vision of a Learning City for all. Peer support and empathy are key drivers of our partnership. We are delighted to be committed to being close working partners with our Learning City friends in the Irish Network of Learning Cities.”