“We don’t know the destination”: Offaly Just Transition concerns raised

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Offaly councillors have said that they "still don't know what we're transitioning to", as they raised concerns about the real impact Just Transition has had on the county.

The discussion took place at Offaly County Council's February meeting, during which members received a presentation on the collaborative project between Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and Offaly County Council, which aims to support communities through the Just Transition process.

Dr Maura Clancy, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Director of Progression Pathways, addressed members on the progress of the Just Transition Academy, a joint initiative aimed at supporting households, businesses and communities adapting to the move from peat to greener alternatives.

She said the latest phase of the collaboration began in March 2025 and runs until March 2026 under a strict deadline. TUS has been engaging with communities across Offaly to assess the effect of Just Transition and identify how the university can provide support.

“I think it’s really important that people hear the work that goes on at another level,” she said.

Dr Clancy thanked Director of Services Ann Dillon, Padraig Boland of Laois and Offaly ETB, and Roisin Lennon, Rural Development Team Leader with Offaly Local Development Company, for their engagement with TUS, including workshops in 2023 that assisted with EU Just Transition funding applications.

“With the establishment of the new University in 2021, the idea was that we were collaborative in our work, to make sure that it is most effective to help the communities most affected in Offaly,” she said.

Speaking about the Bog Bothy project in Clara, Dr Clancy described it as “a place where community and local government can get together to reshape our relationship with the peatlands”.

She said the idea was inspired by The Burrenbeo Trust, adding: “Thirty years ago it was unrealistic to live in the Burren, but Burrenbeo changed that. The same can be done and reshaped here with the peatlands.”

Dr Clancy also noted that four officers were elected across the county to engage with small and medium-sized enterprises on social enterprise and regenerative economy initiatives.

“We got a map together for the social enterprises in Offaly. The value it brings to the community, you’ll all witness that. We also created a social enterprise handbook — it’s clear, it’s user friendly — and we are happy to share it with other counties if they would like it,” she said.

Outlining TUS’s role, she added: “What TUS [is] trying to bring to the table is that we bring the facts and we put it into a report to see the outcomes.”

One example of collaboration with industry was the Shannon Sustainable Boating project, supporting companies seeking to transition diesel-based fleets.

“We created a report which would help them and guide them. We provided information on smart sustainable tourism. They wouldn’t have had time to do that research themselves,” she said.

However, councillors raised concerns about whether Just Transition initiatives were delivering sufficient employment to replace jobs lost following the scaling back of peat operations by Bord na Móna.

Cathaoirleach Cllr John Leahy described the collaboration as “paramount for the future” and asked: “Is this going to be presented to the Department?”

Cllr Liam Quinn said members still lacked clarity about the long-term plan for the Midlands.

“One of the things we lost sight of is that we don’t know what we’re Just Transition-ing to,” he said. “We’re on this journey, I think we don’t know the destination.”

Cllr Fergus McDonnell said the transformation of employment in the Midlands had not happened.

“We still don’t know what we are transitioning to,” he said, calling for “real and tangible job[s] put back into the community”.

Cllr Aoife Masterson described Just Transition as being like “a pair of Jimmy Choos to go out to work a farm”, adding that while the initiative was high quality, “they just don’t fit the job”.

Responding to concerns, Dr Clancy acknowledged the challenges.

“What’s going to replace the jobs? What I have learned is that there is a big gap from that promise and between getting people there. I think there’s a wider gap there than the EU saw initially,” she said.

She stressed that the Academy’s work was focused on grassroots engagement.

“There is a whole community of people on the ground who don’t have a voice. We want to hear what the farmers and the community have to say. It works from the ground up.”

Director of Services Ann Dillon said Offaly had been the most impacted county and was fortunate that TUS had piloted the initiative locally, adding that collaboration and relationships would be as important as funding streams in shaping the county’s future.

Chief Executive Eoghan Ryan described the presentation as “very insightful” as he begins his new role in Offaly, acknowledging that there had been expectations of greater capital investment in the county.