Circular.ie Community Updates
Eibhlin’s Diary: A rewarding month on the ground
April has been another vibrant month in the circular community, filled with inspiring connections and learning opportunities. I've had the pleasure of meeting some more dedicated people and initiatives across Ireland who are making a real difference in their communities.
April has been another vibrant month in the circular community, filled with inspiring connections and learning opportunities. I've had the pleasure of meeting some more dedicated people and initiatives across Ireland who are making a real difference in their communities.
Celebrating Circularity
The month kicked off with a wonderful celebration at the RDS Circular Economy Awards ceremony, delivered in partnership with Trinity Executive Education. It was inspiring to see the room filled with some of Ireland's finest circular small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators. There was a great atmosphere of collaboration and celebration as people were recognised for their incredible work reshaping how we produce, use, and reuse to build a more circular Ireland.
The winners were truly impressive:
The Toy Library (Co. Cork): Ireland's digital sharing platform for toys, hosting Swap&Play events nationwide
Carbon AMS (Co. Sligo): A key player in Ireland's renewable gas transition, creating biomethane through agricultural partnerships
ACT (Accelerating Change Together) (Co. Mayo): A social enterprise of architects, urbanists and policy specialists accelerating the Green Transition. Kevin Loftus of ACT was also awarded ‘Circular Living Advocate’ at our Full Circle Awards last year.
A Trip to Tipp
I had the privilege of exploring some amazing circular initiatives in Tipperary, starting with the inspiring team at Circular Square in Clonmel. These passionate volunteers are bringing circular options to their community through a toy library, clothes swaps, and monthly repair cafes. What I love most is how they're empowering people through their repair club and sewing club, teaching practical skills that help everyone take things into their own hands.
Another highlight was visiting Aiséirí, one of our Circular Communications Grant winners. Their rehabilitation centre runs a beautiful "Love Back to Life" programme where service users learn to upcycle old furniture into stunning pieces. The tour showed me how powerful hands-on work can be in rehabilitation, and I was thrilled to hear about their plans to create an "upcycled room" using furniture all upcycled by their users and of course, reloved paint!
Strengthening Networks
We also welcomed our friends from CRNI (Community Resource Network Ireland) to the Rediscovery Centre for some insightful conversations about the future of circularity in Ireland. We explored challenges like the logistics of moving items across the country and brainstormed solutions. The mapping exercise helped us identify social enterprises in different areas and discover potential collaboration opportunities, showing how much stronger we are when we work together!
Every month reinforces my belief that the most powerful circular solutions come from community led initiatives where people share skills, resources, and passion. Keep up the amazing work, everyone!