My journey as a board member of Rural Youth Europe (RYE) began in April 2023. I had just returned from six months travelling the world and was settling into a more mundane life working in administration in the HSE when a message arrived from Shane Quigley of Mayo Macra, then the Group 1 (UK and Ireland) representative.

Shane and I had served together on national committees. The message offered encouragement and surety that I could do the job, a certainty I did not feel myself. The then Macra president, Elaine Houlihan, fought hard for me at every level to secure the role.

Over the next three years, I attended meetings, developed session plans and policy papers and represented rural youth across Europe.

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I emerged from my tenure with many new skills, friends across Europe and an exciting new job as a youth worker with Foróige. I owe it all to those who believed in me, those who supported me; Macra for nominating me; and the five nations who elected me to complete the full term. I retire from the role on 14 August at the Rural Youth Europe General Assembly in Switzerland.

How it began

From the outset, I embraced every opportunity. My first conference in Alicante opened my eyes to how learning, culture and youth exchange can be combined to create safe, inspiring spaces.

Having participated in a conference of this standard, I later threw myself into planning the RYE Study Session, which was held in Budapest in 2024. I later helped deliver the 2024 Study Session in Budapest.

While I had presided over many competitions in Macra before joining RYE, this was a new experience, keeping a group engaged for a full week. The European Rallies in Estonia and Slovenia challenged me to present to audiences of over 100 people, but my confidence strengthened with every event.

The goal and challenges

Throughout my term, one goal united us: ensuring young, rural people had a voice.

RYE creates opportunities for young people to learn, connect and realise their potential. Watching nervous participants arrive at the start of a week and leave full of confidence and new friendships was one of the most rewarding parts of the role.

I also attended annual Five Nations meetings, strengthening relationships between the UK and Irish organisations.

Possibly the biggest challenge during my time on the board was that we moved our office from Helsinki, Finland to Brussels in Belgium.

Real challenges with regard to drafting new statutes for the organisation and creating a new legal entity made me thankful for my law degree from UCC.

I became an ‘expert’ on the English language, picking apart wording and sentence structures, and I worked to develop the 2027-2029 Strategic Plan, which demanded significant time and commitment. It was challenging volunteer work, but every minute was worthwhile.

Why get involved

RYE offered me incredible travel opportunities, taking me to Norway, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Slovenia, Greece, Germany, Wales, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Poland and France.

While the next Group 1 representative will likely come from the UK, Irish Macra members can still get involved through RYE events, projects, policy work and the Pool of External Representatives. If you’re a Macra member, I encourage you to explore the opportunities RYE can offer. As I close this amazing chapter of my life, I could not be more grateful to Macra na Feirme for the significant opportunities that it has given me since I joined at the age of 18.

Being the UK and Irish representative on the Board of Rural Youth Europe has been, truly, the shining star at the top of my Macra journey.