On 25 March 2026, Donegal County Council and Connected Hubs held their first collaborative stakeholder meeting. The focus of the meeting was on the ongoing progress of the Interreg EU Project EDIN, alongside an overview of the Connected Hubs network.

Eoin McHugh, Project Officer for the EDIN project, delivered a presentation outlining the project’s objectives, as well as the key priorities for Donegal County Council within the initiative. Attendees were also provided with an update on recent project activities carried out during Semester 4, which concludes in March 2026.

The project’s overall objective is to improvement of the identified policy instruments which will lead to an increase in the presence of Digital Nomads in the participating partner territories by 30% in 2028.

The specific objectives are:

1. Improve the relevant Policy Instruments in each territory, which will lead to benefit from the advantages that Digital Nomads bring to the territories, to enhance the local economy, create new activities and promote new ways of enjoying these places as tourist destinations.
2. Raising awareness about digital nomads and the impact they can have on regions, through exchange of existing good practices and through implementation of projects, creating new good practices.
3. Each participating territory will host events, workshops and pilot actions to identify, discuss and implementation of good practices and possible local actions.

 The possibility of hosting a more formal event in Quarter 3 or Quarter 4 of 2026 was discussed and proposed. It was agreed that a follow-up survey would be distributed to stakeholders to gather input on relevant topics and potential speakers for the event.

Liam Horan of Connected Hubs / Western Development Commission shared how the Connected Hubs network has grown to over 410 hubs across the country, giving people more options to work locally. The focus is on making it easier for people to stay in their communities while still accessing good jobs and facilities. Plans for a new National Hub Strategy will build on this and support further growth at local and regional level.

Follow ups from the meeting will take place over the coming weeks to engage with stakeholders with the intention of continuing the collaboration between Donegal County Council, Connected Hubs and the Donegal Hubs community.