On Friday, 6 February, the Irish Pilot of the PoliRuralPlus project presented the County Monaghan Regional Action Plan (RAP) to Monaghan County Council for final validation. The meeting marked a key milestone, bringing together regional policymakers and development actors to confirm the relevance, feasibility, and strategic alignment of the RAP with county, national, and European priorities.

As a key stakeholder, Monaghan County Council reviewed the RAP, which was developed through an extensive foresight-driven and participatory process. The Irish Pilot has already conducted several bilateral and group meetings with regional stakeholders to ensure strong buy-in before this final institutional validation. This meeting represented the concluding step in the co-design and validation process prior to finalization and regional launch.

During the meeting, Kilian Cawley, CEO of Midland Ireland Development (MID), presented MID’s operational role and strategic approach, outlining how PoliRuralPlus fits within broader regional development programmes. He highlighted the clear link between regional needs, the foresight and roadmap exercises undertaken, and the resulting Regional Action Plan. This demonstrated how the RAP translates long-term vision and evidence into concrete actions tailored to County Monaghan.

Jeyald Rasaratnam presented the plan in brief, focusing on its objectives, the current state of the circular economy in the county, and the proposed interventions. Three core interventions were outlined: the establishment of a Regional Circular Economy Hub; Community Energy Awareness and Local Capacity Building; and Circular SME, Repair, and Community Innovation. These interventions aim to strengthen rural–urban linkages, enhance local capacity, support SMEs, and accelerate the circular and low-carbon transition in the region.

The discussion that followed was interactive and constructive. Monaghan County Council representatives expressed particular interest in several proposed actions, including the development of integrated community microgrids, county-wide waste and resource mapping, the identification of suitable circular economy business models, and the establishment of a physical Regional Circular Economy Hub. These actions are strongly aligned with the Council’s climate action, environmental, and enterprise development priorities.

The discussion focused on implementation pathways and funding. Opportunities to maximize regional, national, and EU resources were discussed, with a strong emphasis on collaboration. Jeyald Rasaratnam shared insights on upcoming funding opportunities and highlighted the potential for joint proposals between Monaghan County Council and MID. Both organizations recognized the value of coordinated action to move from planning to delivery.

Monaghan County Council confirmed that it will now review the RAP in detail and provide formal comments. With this final validation meeting completed, the Irish Pilot confirmed that all required stakeholder engagement and validation steps have been concluded. The County Monaghan Regional Action Plan will now be finalized for its official regional launch, positioning the county as a leader in circular economy and rural–urban innovation under the PoliRuralPlus project.

The meeting was attended by senior representatives from Monaghan County Council, including Cathal Flynn (Director of Service), Pamela Kerr (Head of Enterprise at the Local Enterprise Office), Niall Skinnader (Climate Action Officer), and Niall Malone (Administrative Officer in the Environment Section). The Irish Pilot was represented by Kilian Cawley (CEO of MID) and Jeyald Rasaratnam (PoliRuralPlus Irish Pilot Representative). The presence of senior strategic, technical, environmental, and enterprise stakeholders ensured a comprehensive and informed validation discussion.