Committee Tools:

Best Practices

West Kerry Dairy Farmers Sustainable Energy Community

West Kerry Dairy Farmers Sustainable Energy Community

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West Kerry Dairy Farmers set up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in 2020 to cut electricity use and carbon emissions in the dairy sector in the area. Led by local farmer Dinny Galvin, supported by a small steering committee, Dingle Hub, and SEAI mentors, the group co-created an Energy Master Plan (EMP) with outside consultants. They went on to run a collective solar PV meitheal . The SEC combined a collective tender for solar, and farmer-to-farmer learning to move farms toward energy efficiency and visible climate action.

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Buaile Bó Ballyloughane – a natural solution

Buaile Bó Ballyloughane – a natural solution

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A beach in Galway City was the home of a family of Dexter cows in 2024, to graze the headland east of Ballyloughane beach for several months as part of a project led by Galway City Council, working with a local farmer. Local schools and community groups were invited to participate in a programme to share information about this native Irish breed, farming, and its relationship to Irish biodiversity.

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West Side Resource Centre – a supportive, local ecosystem. Podcast with James Coyne

West Side Resource Centre – a supportive, local ecosystem. Podcast with James Coyne

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The Westside Resource Centre is a hub for the community where people can find resources and make connections to help kickstart their sustainability actions – there are resource centres and community hubs throughout Ireland: find yours and start your own action. In our latest podcast, Maeve from the Climate Connected series speaks with James Coyne, the CEO of the Galway Westside Resource Centre, about how his community-focused organisation is tackling climate and environmental issues from the ground up.

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Mulranny: Use what’s in your community to develop it sustainably

Mulranny: Use what’s in your community to develop it sustainably

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Maeve interviews Carol Loftus, of the Sustainable Energy Community in Mulranny, Mayo. The discussion highlights the journey of Mulranny from a fading tourist spot to a thriving model of community-driven sustainable development. Carol outlines how projects emerged, how local people were mobilised, how outside expertise and funding were drawn in, and how sustainability has been woven into tourism, energy, and heritage initiatives.

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Mulranny Community Futures with Seán Carolan

Mulranny Community Futures with Seán Carolan

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Sean Carolan from Mulranny Community Futures talks to Maeve Halpin in our Podcast Number 3. The Mulranny story demonstrates that transformative climate and community action is possible through a structured model of deep community engagement, respectful collaboration, and strategic coordination. It proves that when citizens are genuinely empowered to design their own future, they generate innovative, locally-suited solutions that also contribute to global sustainability goals.

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Working with Nature: The Rosmurrevagh Dunes Conservation Project

Working with Nature: The Rosmurrevagh Dunes Conservation Project

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The Rosmurrevagh Dunes Project is a very strong example of community-led ecological restoration based in observation, care, and long-term commitment. Started by local farmers in 1996, the project began as an answer to bad erosion and . Over time, it became a leading example of learning together and how to protect the land from the sea using natural ways and not just building walls. Today, Rosmurrevagh is known as one of Ireland’s strongest sand dune systems. This was not just against erosion from the sea, but because the community learned to work with nature.

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