Her participation in EmpowerUs, a European research and community partnership project coordinated by Queen’s University Belfast, brought fresh perspective and practical tools that strengthened work her community was already leading. Together, they have advanced good governance, revitalised the Irish language as a living economic asset, and built confidence in a future firmly rooted in place.

Her co-operative serves six rural communities from Camus to Rosmuc, Cill Chiaráin, Carna, Cashel and Recess. Each has its own identity, yet they share the same determination to sustain population, create local employment and keep the Irish language alive as part of everyday life.

“The landscape is beautiful, but the challenges are real,” Máirín explains. “Each area has individual needs, even under one umbrella.”

For years, many rural co-operatives struggled to access governance support, professional advice and sustainable funding. That began to change when Máirín joined EmpowerUs, an EU-funded initiative exploring how coastal communities can lead their own just and sustainable transitions. Led by a team at Queen’s, including Professor Wesley Flannery, the project connects research with practical community action across Europe.

Opening Doors Through EmpowerUs

EmpowerUs brings together coastal communities facing similar pressures and opportunities, from Norway to Spain and across Ireland. For Máirín, it became a bridge between Conamara and a wider European network of community leaders.

“It opened up opportunities for learning,” she recalls, “meeting people from similar backgrounds, discussing similar experiences and difficulties, and highlighting our needs.”

Through workshops and exchanges supported by the Queen’s research team, Máirín shared knowledge with other co-operative managers and began to see herself not only as an organiser but as a social entrepreneur building community wealth and confidence. The engagement gave her practical tools to strengthen governance, improve access to professional services and connect local priorities with wider policy discussions.

Together, these experiences inspired a central bilingual online portal where rural organisations can access templates, policies, governance models and funding information. It is also a way to connect communities that often feel isolated.

“You do not feel alone in the middle of a remote area anymore,” she says. “We are part of something bigger.”

Transforming Governance, Energy and Enterprise

With renewed confidence and clearer direction, Máirín began leading projects that are reshaping community life. One major initiative involves retrofitting an old convent into a social enterprise hub. The building will provide space for local jobs, tourism and creative industries while celebrating Irish language and culture as key strengths.

At the same time, six community halls have united to reduce costs and carbon emissions. Instead of applying separately for small grants, they now work together on joint applications for insulation, solar panels and water harvesting systems. This shared model, an approach explored through EmpowerUs research into community-led sustainability, has increased efficiency and strengthened the entire network.

“Empowering communities means giving them the power to work together to achieve goals for themselves,” Máirín says. “This will reduce overheads and reduce the need for the raffle next year to pay the bills.”

Language and Culture at the Heart of Renewal

For Máirín, language is the foundation for belonging, creativity and local identity. EmpowerUs reinforced her belief, echoed in the project’s research on place-based development, that Irish language and culture are central to economic and social renewal.

A childcare centre through the medium of Irish now employs local staff and immerses young children in the language from their first words. Volunteer directors from each of the six communities also help shape the co-operative’s plans. Together they developed a language plan, area action plan and energy master plan through open consultation. This participatory approach, studied by EmpowerUs researchers including Professor Flannery, has strengthened shared ownership and ensured projects are guided by local voices.

“Life is a jigsaw,” Máirín reflects. “The jigsaw will never be finished. Opportunities will come and go, and you must be ready for them and have shovel-ready projects.”

From Local to Global

For Queen’s University Belfast, Conamara shows how research partnerships can help communities turn local knowledge into long-term change. Through EmpowerUs, Queen’s researchers work alongside coastal communities to understand how governance, culture and sustainability connect in everyday life and how policy can better support locally led solutions.

Looking ahead, the bilingual portal could become a model for other Gaeltacht and rural language regions. The social enterprise hub promises new jobs and cultural tourism linked to the Greenway. The coordinated approach to community energy upgrades offers a replicable path toward low carbon, community-led sustainability, reflecting the goals of the Queen’s-led research.

For Máirín, empowerment is about readiness and belief. “By being involved in consultation, research and policy, we could go one or two steps ahead,” she says.

Conamara’s communities are not waiting for solutions to come to them. They are shaping their own future, in Irish and on their own terms, supported by a growing partnership with Queen’s University Belfast.