Aoileann Donnelly - Global Ireland Young Leader

Global Ireland Young Leaders, Dublin, May 2025   

by Aoileann Donnelly, TYA

As part of Transition Year in CCS we get many opportunities to take part in different activities. I was really excited when my essay for the Global Ireland Young Leaders competition won me a place on a 3-day programme in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.  

On the first morning I went to Iveagh House on St Stephens Green which is where the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFS) is based, and which was our meeting point every day. Firstly, we were introduced to Paul Gleeson, the Director of Communications who gave us our first insight into what working for the Department of Foreign Affairs would be like. Then after an icebreaker activity we had a presentation from Irish representatives working on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. This was followed by a presentation on peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland which ended with an impromptu meeting with the Lithuanian Ambassador to Ireland. After lunch we had a workshop with Irish Aid at the Department of Defence. We then returned to Iveagh House for an information session on EU careers, the history of the EU and a quiz. 

We started the second day by going to the Europa Experience where we first watched a video on the EU. We then completed an exercise where we were split into different EU political parties and we had to vote on a law based on how it will affect our stakeholders and if it aligns with the party's values which was a very interesting experience. Then we returned to Iveagh House for a press conference simulation. The afternoon involved a visit to the Passport Office on Mount Street where we were shown how passports are made and were talked through the design for the new passport. We then had a briefing on work of the DFA abroad and Travel Wise. 

On day 3 the group took part in a model UN simulation, and this was my favourite activity of the programme. We were all put in small groups and assigned a country. My group’s country was Kenya. Our job was to represent Kenya where we passed a law on the use of AI in education. After the UN simulation we had a roundtable discussion with Heads of Mission in Irish Consulates and Embassies abroad working in places like India, Milan, Chile and New York.  

After lunch in the sunshine in Iveagh Gardens we divided into two groups to visit two different embassies in the city, one going to the Japanese Embassy and my group going to the Australian embassy. There we had the pleasure of meeting the Australian ambassador to Ireland, Chantalle Taylor. She was friendly and charismatic and entertained us with some stories from her work in foreign affairs. Finally, we returned to Iveagh House where we were presented with certificates for completing the Young Leaders programme.   

I am so glad I entered this competition and am honoured to have earned a place on it. I would highly recommend entering it to anyone interested in government, politics, travel, journalism and writing. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. 

While it was an amazing trip, I was so sorry to hear that Emmanuel Familola, one of the boys who I did the program with, died so soon after in the terrible tragedy in Lough Swilly in Buncrana. I did not get to know Emmanuel well, but he seemed like a kind, funny and smart boy. He had such a bright future ahead of him. He will not be forgotten, and I hope he can rest peacefully.