Policy Spotlight: Future Limerick

Limerick Chamber Policy Spotlight

The Limerick Chamber policy team has had a busy start to 2022. To kick off the year, Limerick Chamber welcomed Seán Golden to the policy team to lead policy strategy going forward. Getting a running start on the year, the team has already made two submissions for proposed government plans.

The first was a submission on the Draft Clare Development with the emphasis on the proposed Strategic Development Zone in the south of Clare, including a university town for the University of Limerick. The Chamber has also made a submission in the second- phase consultation of the Offshore Wind Deployment strategy by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

The team has a strong pipeline of work in the coming year, including the Midwest Economic Insights report, which, after an absence in September, is back again for spring/summer 2022. This report will provide detailed insights into the performance of the Midwest region, giving insights into key issues in Limerick and the greater region such as housing, employment, and enterprise.

The Limerick Chamber Development Pipeline is also a core deliverable for the policy team. This is an exciting project as it will help in providing both the public and businesses with clear and concise information and updates on key projects taking place in and around Limerick City.

In addition, the team will support the implementation of the recommendations put forward in the Future Limerick Report, which was undertaken by Indecon on behalf of Limerick Chamber.

The Limerick Chamber policy team takes pride in addressing key policy issues in the region through evidence-based policy research, stakeholder engagement, and lobbying at local, national and European level. The policy team looks forward to engaging with the local business community to better understand how we can strive for a stronger business environment in this period of regeneration.

The Limerick Chamber Policy team includes:

Seán Golden:

Chief Economist / Director of Policy

Seán Golden joined the Chamber team in 2022. Prior to taking up his position at the Chamber, Seán worked as the Economist with the Land Development Agency (LDA), leading their policy and economic research function as well as leading Project Tosaigh, the LDA’s homebuilding partnership. He also previously held the position of Senior Economist with Ernst & Young (EY), where he provided economic consultancy services to a range of organisations across the public and private sector. Prior to joining EY, he worked with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform / Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) as an Economist. He also spent several years in retail banking with Bank of Ireland.

Seán holds an MSc in Economic Analysis from University of Limerick where he received the Northern Trust Outstanding Scholar Award. He also holds a BBS in Economic and Finance from the University of Limerick. Seán is active in the voluntary sector in Limerick and has worked with the European Expo 2020, Lean on Me and MyMind.

Diarmuid O’Shea:

Economist / Policy Analyst

Diarmuid O’Shea joined the Chamber team in 2021. Prior to this, Diarmuid worked in financial services and completed his MSc in Economics and Policy Analysis at the University of Limerick. He also holds a BA in Economics and Sociology from University of Limerick. Diarmuid has a keen interest in policy analysis, higher education research, regional development, and sustainable transport models, as well as how the Midwest can leverage its rich natural resources to ensure a steady supply of clean energy.

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