Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), has called for a national forum to articulate a shared vision for Ireland’s future, addressing the challenges of the 21st century and building on the country’s history of innovation.
In a speech delivered at the Limerick Chamber President’s Dinner on Friday night, Professor Cunnane spoke of building a better future for his grandchildren – emphasising the need for Ireland to look beyond economic cycles and articulate a coherent set of shared values to guide the nation into its second century of independence.
Speaking to an event that included An Taoiseach, Simon Harris TD, John Moran, Mayor of Limerick, Noel Gavin, Chamber President and a collection of Deputies, Senators, Councillors and distinguished guests, Professor Cunnane said: “I believe that we need a grand vision for Ireland in 2050, articulated through a national forum that will bring together the varied strands of thought that we as a people have, to achieve the ambitions, address the fears, hear the concerns and voice the hopes, all with the aim of realising a greater goal. To me, that forum is necessary in this time of discord.”
Professor Cunnane drew parallels between the transformative projects of Ireland’s past, such as the Ardnacrusha Scheme – “the most transformative project of the Irish state” – and the need for a new vision to address contemporary challenges. He highlighted the importance of harnessing Ireland’s innovative spirit and natural resources, particularly in areas like offshore wind energy.
The President also expressed concern about the current global climate of institutional distrust, rising far-right politics and the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on future generations, and argued that a national conversation about Ireland’s future could help counter these trends and provide direction for the country.
He said: “We have seen the corrosive power of disinformation, the vacuum of inequality, the pain of isolation, all clearly at play in the politics of larger nations and directing their course. It seems to me that we are in a period where the temptation is to pretend that it’s business as usual and things will just blow over, but where in fact, we need to act.
“AI will influence my grandchildren’s lives in ways that we can scarcely conceive today, and it is unlikely that the climate that we take for granted will be the one that they will live through over the course of their lifetimes.
“This may only become apparent with the benefit of time, but I think that the ultimate issue at hand is something about where we are going as a nation entering our second century of independence.
“We need to get beyond thinking just in economic cycles, keeping our heads down and ploughing on. We need to look up and articulate who we are and where we are going.”
In his address, Professor Cunnane called on the next government, regardless of its composition, to make this national conversation a central part of its programme. He proposed that Ireland should articulate its aims for where it wants to be as a nation by 2050, with a clear vision driving decision-making across all sectors, from education and infrastructure to social policy and industrial strategy..
“We have seen the transformative power of the collective vision, and we need to harness that power just as the Shannon was harnessed,” he said.
“I was in India recently and I was struck that everywhere I went, I heard of a vision for India to be a fully developed nation by 2047, with nobody left behind. I started to think, well, where will we be in 2047? Where will we be in 2050? What do we want to achieve together? I should be able to tell my grandchildren where we are going as a nation, just as a century ago, people were able to point up the river Shannon and see a modern nation, about to become electrified and mobilised.
“So a century on, what are we going to do? What mobilises us today in a way that will affect the lives of my grandchildren? What will we build on the shoulders of the giants who went before us?”