Day 1 – what a start. We’ve got this Ireland. We’ve got this Northern Ireland. We’ve got this. 20 June was the first full day of my presidency for the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT). It couldn’t have been better.

The ferry from Hollyhead to Dublin. Faultless.

Glenn Hingerty – luckily two Glenns in close proximity did not upset the delicate balance of the universe. You were the perfect host.

Off to TU Dublin to meet the masters students. More specifically to be on a panel to hear from the two student teams who have each done a 3-4 day intensive stint of developing a strategy for the town of Enfield. Mind blown. In less than 16 person days each, they had come up with a wealth of ideas, wrestling with what was suitable, acceptable and feasible. If you’re a (future) practitioner in Ireland – get in touch with Glenn Hingerty, Lorraine D’Arcy, Sarah Rock and Sinead Flavin – they rock. Sinead – “young people are great sales people for change – get them on board”; Sarah – “we have tolerated generations of through traffic killing our towns and their vitality”.

I later had the privilege of learning more about India from Saurabh Gupta – Treasurer of CIHT ROI. What an eye opener. 1.5 billion people – things are changing, need to change, in a hurry. In 2005/06 Delhi had a mere 10-12km of rail line under construction. In 2024 this is a 350+km network. There are more people in India moving by rail at a given point than the total population of Australia. Could you be in charge of this scale of population and make the right calls – simultaneously managing economic growth pressures, rapid infrastructure developments and addressing the climate energency?

Lorraine D’Arcy – so great to see you in person – and sporting a badge representing ‘Project Dandelion’ – “The First Global Women-Led Campaign for Climate Justice” (https://lnkd.in/dxPpVHzQ). 💙 💚

Lorraine took me to meet Phil Lynott – former lead singer of hard-rock band Thin Lizzy who grew up in Dublin. He passed away in my home town of Salisbury in 1986, aged 36. I was 17 and with other local metalheads signed a get well card before he was lost. It saddened me that a local man we spoke to in Dublin this evening suggested racism was rearing its ugly head once again in Ireland. I salute you Phil Lynott. I see you (with Gary Moore) ‘Out in the Fields’ 🤘 R.I.P.

Then we came to the matter of CIHT’s core themes and my presidential theme – ‘authentically sustainable, inclusive and professional’. The good CIHT colleagues of Ireland and Northern Ireland were ready to stand tall. Thanks to Lorraine D’Arcy, Glenn Hingerty, Matthew Steele, John Fleming, Stephen Bradshaw, Saurabh Gupta for stepping forward to lend their support for CIHT helping to ‘Make Earth Great Again’ 💚 💙 🤘

P.S. Another metalhead revealed – they know who they are. Prong – that’s all I’m saying. And a stage diver?! Who knew 🖤 And great brewing wisdom in the Dublin CIHT ranks.