Sligo PPN Visit to Leinster House

On Thursday, 8th October, members of Sligo Public Participation Network (PPN) joined representatives from Dublin City PPN and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (DLR) PPN for a visit to Leinster House, at the invitation of Senator Nessa Cosgrove. The visit gave us an opportunity to learn more about how national policy is developed and how the views and experiences of people at local level can feed into decisions made nationally. We were met by John Davey, assistant to Senator Cosgrove, who accompanied us during the visit. We also had a wonderful tour of Leinster House with John, one of the ushers, who shared some of the history of the building and its role in Irish political life. We visited both the Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann chambers and learned more about the history of the house. We also saw portraits of former Taoisigh of Ireland and a montage featuring women who have served as Senators throughout Irish history, up to 2022. Senator Cosgrove met with us during the tour and welcomed everyone to Leinster House. She spoke about her work in the Seanad and her role in representing members of the public. We also had the opportunity to listen to part of Leaders' Questions in Dáil Éireann, which gave us a glimpse of parliamentary business in action. As part of the Sligo PPN podcast, Val spoke to a number of people who took part in the visit. You'll hear about their experiences and perspectives on the day and about the work they do within the PPN. You'll hear from: - **John Davey** – Assistant to Senator Nessa Cosgrove - **Max** – Sligo Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO) - **Bill** – DLR PPN Secretariat - **Mandy** – Shankill Daycare Centre, DLR PPN representative - **Pippa** – Sligo Disabled Persons Organisation and PPN Secretariat - **Dr Akeem** – Dublin PPN representative - **Joan** – Sligo Cycling Campaign and Sligo PPN Secretariat - **Kay** – DLR PPN representative and former member of the Secretariat - **Craig** – Sligo Chess - **Sheila** – Sligo Food and Furniture Bank - **Ruth** – Staff member, Dublin City PPN - **Gayle** – Sligo Sudbury School It was a great opportunity to hear from people involved in a wide range of community groups and organisations, all bringing different experiences and perspectives to the table. The PPNs play an important role in connecting community and voluntary groups, environmental organisations and social inclusion groups with local decision-making. Visits like this help members understand more about how the different levels of government work and where community voices fit into the bigger picture. It was also a chance to meet people from other PPNs, share experiences and make new connections. A big thank you to Senator Nessa Cosgrove for the invitation, to John Davey for accompanying us, John the usher for the wonderful tour, and to everyone who made the visit such an interesting and worthwhile day.