With the first quarter of the 21st century nearly over, we asked some Irish people to share their predictions for life here in the year 2050.

From Dr Luke O’Neill’s oldie boomers to Leo Varadkar’s United Ireland and Blindboy Boatclub’s dream machines, here’s what they said...

How will we be living in 25 years’ time?

Robot helpers will be a mainstream service

Adrian Weckler, technology editor, Irish Independent

Ask experts what the big new coming thing in tech is and you’ll get some version of quantum computing, AI, autonomous cars or neural implants. But the smart money is now starting to gather around one thing to unite them all: robots. And not the iPads on wheels or the yipping toy dogs that currently do the rounds at trade shows. Functioning, humanoid robots — that can load a dishwasher or answer the front door to take a parcel — are now almost certainly likely to be a mainstream service or product in 2050. It’s not just Boston Dynamics or Elon Musk who are putting money into this. Meta just announced a major new division focused on android robots, stitching together all the other advances that are currently being made.

'Humanoid robots are likely to be a mainstream service.' Illustration: Cathy Hogan

We will be able to upload and share our dreams

Blindboy Boatclub, podcaster and author

'Humanoid robots are likely to be a mainstream service.' Illustration: Cathy Hogan

I explored this idea in a short story I published called Boulevard Wren from 2019. I reckon, in 2050, there will be a brain interface that allows us to upload our dreams online for others to experience. Influencers will compete with each other to have the most watchable dreams. We will live in a world of climate and biodiversity collapse, perpetually longing for memories of animals and plants that don’t exist anymore. We will experience and feel these things by using technology to interface with other people’s dreams. Water and land will be owned by private interests, and due to their scarcity, will be prohibitively expensive. Most people will live in old cars that have been repurposed into tiny homes. We won’t have smartphones anymore; technology will interface with our brains via wearable devices. This is already being explored at the moment by companies like Neuralink. Corporations will own the data of our thoughts, just like they own the data of our behaviour now. Dream influencers will seek out traumatic experiences in real life so that this pain will re-emerge in their dreams as engaging content for the rest of us to consume as entertainment.

Holograms will replace screens

Laoise Murphy, BT Young Scientist winner

Screens will be a thing of the past and holographic projections will be utilised across Ireland in 2050. I foresee a myriad of uses. People will be brought closer together in a realistic way as both personal and work calls will become virtual 3D meetings which feel real. Benefits to education and training will include interactive, immersive, visual and tactile learning experiences being created. In healthcare, remote patient assessment will be possible using this technology as well as surgical assistance. Concerts and live events will be enjoyed from the comfort of our homes. I expect that gender equality in Stem will long since have been achieved.

We’ll leave it too late to regulate AI

Dr Eileen Culloty, deputy director, DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society

Have you ever wondered why tech companies are allowed to operate with no regard to consequences? It’s because exactly 25 years ago, lobbyists said ‘regulation stifles innovation’ and EU policymakers agreed. It’s deja vu with AI. Policymakers seem intent on turning against the public interest again. In the immediate term, expect to hear a lot about AI innovation, efficiency and opportunity. In the long run, brace yourself for scandals and a collapse in trust as facial recognition technology, autonomous weapons, driverless cars and EdTech are brought to us by corporations that only care about their profits.

There will be a spirituality resurgence

Mark Little, journalist and entrepreneur, founder of Storyful and Kinzen

In a recent discussion about Ireland in 2050, Mark Little highlighted a resurgence in spirituality as a significant trend

Superhuman technology will make Irish lives longer and more comfortable. Collective healthcare will become more personal. Public services will devolve to the devices we carry, wear and talk to. Conversations mediated by machines will expand to fill spaces once occupied by reading, writing and calculating. We will speak with nostalgia for what the machine has erased in the pursuit of efficiency. We will speak of friction, randomness and surprise with the language of loss. We will feel more powerful and somehow less human. The ultimate revenge of the machine might well be a resurgence in spirituality.

Clothing will adapt to climate extremes

Niamh O’Donoghue, writer and global head of social media at Stella McCartney

By 2050, Ireland will embrace climate-responsive clothing, merging technology with rediscovered natural fibres to create garments that adapt to shifting environments while championing sustainability. In a world of climate extremes, our clothing will no longer be passive. Smart textiles will regulate temperature, moisture and even UV exposure, reducing our reliance on energy-intensive heating and cooling. But the real shift will be in material consciousness — moving away from synthetics and returning to wool, linen and hemp, engineered with modern techniques for durability and adaptability. Fashion will be less about excess and more about intention: fewer, better garments designed to last. In a future shaped by uncertainty, what we wear will be as considered as what we build, shaping a more sustainable and self-sufficient Ireland.

Ireland will have its first female taoiseach

Fionnán Sheehan, Ireland editor, Irish Independent

Now, you can argue it should happen well before halfway through the century. However, Ireland will have its first female taoiseach by 2050. The country came relatively close in 2020 when Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald won the highest percentage of the popular vote. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have yet to have a female leader. The first woman taoiseach may not come from the old Civil War parties though, but a new alignment as politics shifts to a normal left-right divide. Anyone claiming it won’t be a significant event clearly forgets the striking change brought about by Mary Robinson becoming president in the early 1990s. The centenary of the declaration of a republic in 1949 will finally see the other half of the population represented in the taoiseach’s office.

Irish farmers will send safe food to the moon

Peter Hynes, Cork dairy farmer

It’s 2050 and Ireland has been accredited with having the safest food on the planet for the third consecutive year, with Bord Bia hailing it as a massive achievement for farmers across the 32 counties. Following a recent trade mission to Nasa, Bord Bia secures a contract to supply safe Irish food to the space exploration station based on the moon. Having achieved 100pc DNA registration status for livestock in Ireland in the late 2030s, the advancement of super computers has since seen the traceability of all meat and dairy produced in Ireland linked directly back to individual animals on farms. Ireland’s island status has helped its agricultural industry protect itself from the livestock disease pandemics raging across Europe, such as bluetongue, foot and mouth and brucellosis, all of which have been exasperated by climate change as temperatures soar in Europe and further hampered by black-market meat imports from non-EU countries driven by decades of food inflation. As demand for Irish dairy soars across wealthy nations, farm lobby groups have urged the minister for agriculture to subsidise the removal of solar panels from farmland so farmers can return to livestock farming. Meanwhile, the EU president has urged the Irish Government to reinforce checks at all points of entry into Ireland to protect the health status of its livestock.

Dairy farmer Peter Hynes. Photo: Clare Keogh

We will all work in the gig economy

Richard Curran, broadcaster and columnist, Irish Independent

It depends on how you define it, but more and more people are working as self-employed or freelancers, not only in Ireland but around the world. Don’t believe the hype that the reason is workers want to have more freedom, change jobs more often and not be “stuck” with the same job for life. The so-called gig economy is presented as an expression of greater working life freedom. In reality, for most companies, the main driver behind the massive shift is that it costs less for employers. Gig workers are cheaper in the long run. Into the future, ever more process-driven organisations will make decisions based on cost. Long-term employees are just too expensive. This means many workers in the future will work independently as self-employed or freelance and change jobs more often. But they will face a more precarious and uncertain working life, no matter what their skill set, from a factory floor to a hospital operating table. Higher paid jobs allow some to save for an uncertain future even if they move around a lot. Pensions will be for the individual to sort out. The ‘job for life’ is already falling by the wayside.

We will live in a new United Ireland

Leo Varadkar, former taoiseach

I am an optimist.  Despite setbacks, the arc of history is one of progress for Ireland. In 2050, we will live in a new united Ireland with a population of nine million. More than three decades of public investment will have paid off, giving us universal healthcare, affordable housing and rapid public transport in and between our cities.

Leo Varadkar. Photo: Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

Gen Beta will be navigating a brave new world of travel

Pól Ó Conghaile, travel editor, Irish Independent

Forget Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Gen Beta, born between 2025 and 2039, will truly travel in a brave new world — as today’s technologies finally reach full bloom. They will travel with biometric passports, unlocking e-gates with their faces and fingerprints. They will be the first generation to avail of truly affordable space tourism, possibly even checking into Earth’s first sub-orbital hotel. They will look back at early AI trip planners in the same way their parents looked back at dial-up internet connections, going from holiday inspiration to bookings and logistics with AI assistants seamlessly integrated into their communications, payments and scheduling tools. They might book with simple clicks, even with a thought. As well as new frontiers, however, Gen Beta will face new barriers. As the woolly ‘net zero’ 2050 targets of airlines and governments whistle by, theirs will be a holiday map redrawn. Cities like Miami will withdraw from the coast. Southern Med hotspots will shift their seasons to autumn and spring, and the EU will grasp the nettle of travel credits... a limited number of flights each of us can take per year, with surcharges to go above, or to visit certain destinations.

a href="Gen-Beta-space-tourism.jpg"> 'Gen Beta will be the first generation to avail of truly affordable space tourism.' Illustration: Cathy Hogan

Communities will feed themselves

Ruth Hegarty, food policy consultant

It’s a Saturday morning in 2050. You are at your bustling local food hub, buying your weekly groceries from neighbouring farmers. This hub provides a marketplace for local farmers, food access for those who need it most, nourishing meals for the area’s schools and hospitals, and a gathering place for the community. It is part of a response, driven from the ground up, to ever-increasing climate shocks, global trade wars, supply chain disruption, and civil unrest caused by food shortages. We recognise food as a common good, a right, and a cultural asset; not just a commodity to be traded and exported, not just something packaged on a supermarket shelf. The people, communities, have taken back control of our food supply. We are feeding ourselves.

Ruth Hegarty. Photo: Bryan Brophy

A greener but more vulnerable nation

Caroline O’Doherty, environment correspondent, Irish Independent

On current trends, Ireland will be warmer and wetter with more intense rainfall and flooding and more severe disruption to farming and other weather-dependent activities. Alternatively, there may be a collapse in the ocean current system that brings us relatively benign weather for a country located so far north. If the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation shuts down — and there are indications it is slowing — then we will have significantly colder temperatures. Either way, climate change will also be affecting the countries we trade with, travel to, relocate in and rely on for global economic, political and social stability. We may be a greener country because clean energy policies will finally have taken effect but we will also be a more vulnerable one.

Generative AI will have killed critical skills

Dr Páraic Kerrigan, assistant professor and deputy head of UCD’s School of Information and Communication Studies

By 2050, the rise of generative AI will negatively impact writing and creative thinking skills. As AI tools become more advanced and accessible, there is a risk that people may rely too heavily on automated solutions to tasks, weakening their ability to generate unique ideas and express themselves effectively. As a result, I predict that the Irish Government (which by that stage may possibly be all-island in a United Ireland) will have to develop a national strategy to preserve and strengthen these key, critical skills. This strategy will have to ensure that human creativity remains a crucial cornerstone of Irish society in the wake of AI advancement.

More ‘pre-family’ and ‘no-family’ housing will be built

Ronan Lyons, economist and associate professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin

Ireland in 2050 will, of course, be older and more diverse than Ireland in 2000 or Ireland in 2025. This will have implications far beyond the obvious though, including our housing need. For example, as people get married later and have fewer children, more ‘pre-family’ and indeed ‘no-family’ housing — for households of one or two persons — will be needed. And that will present a greater challenge here than in neighbouring countries. Currently, Ireland has the highest share of houses (typically built for households of three or more) and the smallest share of apartments. But with people living much longer, hundreds of thousands of homes for ‘post-family’ households will be needed too — from regular downsizers through independent living to assisted living, Ireland, in a generation, will have a much greater variety of housing than now, to reflect the greater variety of ways we will be living.

Ireland will be a top producer of luxury goods

Ashley McDonnell, founder of Tech Powered Luxury

Ashley McDonnell of Tech Powered Luxury

By 2050, Ireland will have joined the ranks of France and Italy in being one of the top global producers of luxury goods, from fashion and leather goods to beauty, fragrance, jewellery, spirits and fine foods. The luxury goods industry will have become one of the most prominent within the country for employment and export, and it will provide a much-needed platform and solution for Ireland’s thriving creative talents. Ireland Fashion Week — the first of which is due to take place this year — will have become a hotly anticipated event attended by top national and international talent, giving fashion designers the opportunity to reach a global audience.

Planning will be underway for a tunnel beneath the Irish Sea

Gary Marshall, Dublin Commuter Coalition

In 2050, all Dublin commuters can go about their day with little concern for planning their journeys ahead of time, due to the highly interconnected, frequent and reliable network of bus corridors, extended Darts, new Luas lines, cycle network and the Metro. Thanks to a core value focused on universal accessibility, regardless of age or ability, all commuters can avail of these services whenever they want. Dublin city, like all major Irish cities, is less noisy and polluted due to most people choosing to use public or sustainable transport, providing cleaner air, safer roads and more public space to socialise. All Irish cities are connected via high-speed rail, making travelling by car the slowest option, even the self-driving kind... with planning underway for a new undersea tunnel across the Irish Sea connecting us to the UK and Europe.

We will all be growing lettuce in our window boxes

Dr David Robbins, co-director of the DCU Institute for Climate and Society

The former Green Party leader Eamon Ryan took a lot of stick for suggesting people grow some of their own food. But by 2050, Ireland will have followed Sweden and other EU countries in focusing on food security. Market gardening on the edge of cities will be the norm, and Ireland will grow a lot more of its own food as global supply chains become more unreliable because of climate change. Community-supported agriculture (whereby people pay a farmer a monthly fee and get a box delivered each week) will be more widespread, and our connection with our food, where it comes from, and who grows it, will be much stronger.

Nobody will own their own car and road deaths will be almost eradicated

Geraldine Herbert, motoring editor, Sunday Independent

By 2050, Irish roads will look very different. Self-driving and connected vehicles will make travel safer, reduce traffic, and bring Ireland closer to zero road deaths. These smart vehicles will use radar and high-definition cameras to constantly scan their surroundings, read road signs, and communicate with other road users. They won’t just drive — they’ll actively respond to real-time conditions. At the heart of this transformation are Intelligent Systems that will link vehicles to roads, traffic signals and other infrastructure in real time. This means smoother traffic flow, fewer delays and lower emissions. Passenger vehicles will be zero-emission, with BEVs and hydrogen fuel cells dominating. In smart cities, autonomous trucks and drone deliveries will dominate, while flying taxis and underground hyperloops will cut congestion. Private car ownership? Practically extinct, replaced by slick subscription services. The future of Irish motoring is seamless, green and shared. Of course, lithium shortages and grid capacity could throw a spanner in the works, but let’s cross that sustainably powered bridge when we get to it.

Medical advances will lead to the rise of Oldie Boomers

Luke O’Neill, professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin and author

Luke O’Neill. Photo: Fergal Phillips

By 2050, given the rate of progress in medical advances, many of us will be living well into our 80s, but importantly in good health. Diseases like cancer at a minimum will become chronic rather than killing us and we will likely be even able to prevent some of them with vaccines. Inflammatory diseases like arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease will be treatable, as will neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This will mean many of us working into our 80s, or going back into education to retrain  (or out of interest). We will all be taking part in a lot more active leisure pursuits. How we think of ageing will have changed. It won’t be seen as something to dread or worry about but instead just more years on Earth to contribute to the economy and enjoy ourselves. What will we call this huge generation of seniors bungee jumping or getting PhDs or trying to make the world a better place? How about Oldie Boomers?

Space tourism will be thriving

Dr Niamh Shaw, scientist, engineer and writer

Dr Niamh Shaw. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Human spaceflight has always had the potential to transform life on Earth and beyond. If we, as a species, can learn to park our differences, here’s what I see in our future for 2050: a thriving lunar base, a research outpost on the moon to support astronauts, scientists — and hopefully reporters — using local resources to sustain long-term stays. With this, we will create, for the first time, footsteps of the first woman, first person of colour and the first European astronaut (maybe even an Irish set of footprints could be there too!). There’s a lot of interest in human missions to Mars, and by 2050, I think this will still be a long shot. But never say never because, with enough funding and lots of effort, the first human mission to Mars might well happen by 2050, with plans in place to establish a permanent research station. Space tourism will be thriving, and we will see more and more private companies offering flights to orbit Earth, making space travel possible for more than astronauts. Space hotels planned to orbit Earth (eg Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef) might be up and running by 2050 and could become the next go-to holiday destination. Lastly and most importantly, with all these great goals, I don’t believe that any of this will happen without international space cooperation. The International Space Station happened because five nations got together to create this orbiting outpost. If we can get countries to continue to work together, space will become a truly global endeavour and a testament of what can be achieved for the greater good of humanity. Seeing Earth from a distance has profoundly affected many astronauts. Perhaps we can become kinder, more considerate Earth citizens if more of our species became spacefarers by 2050.

'Space hotels planned to orbit Earth might be up and running.' Illustration: Cathy Hogan

Historians will benefit from AI

Donal Fallon, historian and author

Historian Donal Fallon. Photo: Mark Condren

Historians generally prefer the safety of the past to the unpredictability of the future. Undoubtedly, historical research will look very different, with AI tools offering possibilities (and not just problems). Biographers especially might welcome the opportunities it offers with email, social media and other data records of the modern age. In the past, we trawled through dusty letters or microfilm, and those who felt email and the digital realm would represent a decline in public availability of important materials may be proven wrong. AI won’t leave us all out of a job (he says, hopefully), with critical thinking and interpretation of the past still coming from the humble human mind itself.

Irish media will work together to combat fake news

Peter Vandermeersch, CEO Mediahuis Ireland

Because fake news (in text, audio and video) became so omnipresent  in the 2020s and 2030s, by 2050, RTÉ, The Irish Times and the Irish Independent are having a common, substantial and successful fact-checking editorial room which, helped by AI, is becoming the most trusted source for news and analysis in Ireland. The best journalists in the country are cooperating in this ‘Trusted News Ireland’ operation and thus safeguarding our democracy.

One in four young Irish workers will have African heritage

Dr Ebun Joseph, founder and CEO, Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies, and lecturer in UCD

Ireland could be a truly inclusive society where racism no longer exists — not because discrimination simply fades away, but because diversity becomes an undeniable reality in every family, workplace and community. With demographic shifts, UN projection is that one in four young workers will have African heritage, meaning nearly every household will have a direct connection to blackness. This integration could foster deeper understanding, empathy and a shared sense of acceptance and belonging. While eliminating racism requires more than proximity — it demands systemic change, education and collective effort — my hope is that, by 2050, Irish society will have embraced equity so fully that racial discrimination will be a relic of the past. It might not be guaranteed, but it is a future worth striving for.

Ireland’s position as a neutral player will be tested

Leon Diop, founder of Black & Irish

Some people may believe that 2025 will either be a dystopia or a utopia. At the moment, they are more than likely leaning towards a dystopia with everything that’s going on. For me, the future contains a little bit of both. It’s difficult to think of Ireland in isolation to global movements. I think, by 2050, we will see huge advancements in the realms of AI and other technologies that will make our lives more convenient and comfortable. I think it’s possible to solve the green premium that prevents us from moving fully to renewables in that time too, particularly in Ireland, where one-third of our energy already comes from the wind. However, by 2050, we could be into the 28th year of sustained global conflict if we don’t find ways to bring peace now. Ireland’s position as a neutral player will be tested in that time and I hope we can continue to be the voice of healing and reason. Climate change will bring more people to cooler parts of the planet, so it is critical that, in 2050, we are a society that is used to and accepts multiculturalism and is pluralistic. Many people see these only as challenges but there are huge opportunities in everything that is happening. By 2050, we could be living in a world where peace is the norm and we are using fully renewable energy. The integration of new communities not only allows us to have a well-developed society with excellent infrastructure and strong institutions but also advances Irish culture.

Infrastructure will struggle to cope with unification

Aidan Regan, professor of political economy in UCD

Ireland’s population rises to seven million, driven primarily by inward migration and natural growth. As the number of climate refugees increases and conflicts persist in the Middle East, a newly emerging far-right party steadily gains electoral support. With Irish unification on the horizon, political polarisation deepens, fuelling intense debates over how to expand infrastructure and public services for a potential population of nine million.

We will build homes from straw, timber, clay and stone again

Harrison Gardner, co-founder of Common Knowledge, author and sustainability designer

Harrison Gardner of Common Knowledge. Photo: Eamon Ward

By 2050, Irish homes will be built from hemp, straw, timber, sheep’s wool, clay, and even stone — materials that can be sourced and produced locally and sustainably. Building regulations will no longer prioritise strength and durability alone. Instead, they will also assess materials based on their carbon impact, energy efficiency and sustainability. This shift will make bio-based materials the new standard for homes, valued for their insulation properties, breathability, and carbon sequestration. Concrete and steel will still have their place but will be used more selectively and only when structurally necessary. Ultimately, regulations will redefine what we consider valuable in a building material.

Influencer tribes will have replaced traditional media

Emma Kelly, founder and MD of Elevate PR firm

By 2050, I expect a continued decline in traditional media and the growth of tribes led by influencers who are the new gatekeepers and arbiters of taste and style (when say it used to be Vogue for fashion and Elle Decoration for interior design). There have always been influencers, even pre social media. Now they can bypass the media on their own channels. By 2050, there will be new media platforms we have not even imagined yet and job descriptions that have not been invented.

Gardening will be climate action

Diarmuid Gavin, Weekend Magazine gardening columnist

As ecosystems shift and food systems strain, gardening won’t solely be a lifestyle choice — it will be a lifeline. AI will deliver the message to us in language we understand that native planting revives biodiversity, soil sequesters carbon, and local food protects supply chains. Ireland’s mild climate gives us an edge. Gardens will be our green resistance — physical, beautiful and necessary. We’ll teach children to compost before they code. And in the quiet act of growing, we’ll reclaim both a hold on reality and hope.

Regional flights will be powered by electricity

Kenny Jacobs, group CEO at DAA

By 2050, Ireland’s population is going to be much higher than it is today. Ireland will still be an island nation and demand for connectivity with the world, and to get on and off the island will also be much greater. Looking at population growth forecasts and aviation trends, I’d expect Dublin Airport to double in size over the next 25 years to around 68 million passengers a year. Cork Airport will have trebled in size to nine million passengers. New technologies and Ireland’s status as a global leader in sustainable aviation will mean all this additional travel will be done with significantly reduced emissions versus today’s levels, with all regional flights from Dublin and Cork operated by electric/hydrogen-powered aircraft. Dublin will have frequent, direct air service to places like Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Cork will have direct services to every major European destination and transatlantic links to at least three North American cities. Both airports will support over 300,000 well-paid jobs (versus 126,000 at both today), and both airports will be adding €20bn-plus in value to the economy. Away from aviation, in 2050, Cork will still be the real capital of Ireland and will be going for its tenth Liam MacCarthy trophy in a row. Ryanair will be the biggest airline in the world and Michael O’Leary will still be CEO. Who knows, Manchester United might even be good again!

Every child will get a chance to dream big

Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, author and lecturer in Maynooth University

Author Katriona O’Sullivan. Photo: Steve Humphreys

In 2050, we will have eradicated child poverty. Every child, irrespective of their class or condition, will get an equal chance to dream big; every child will be given the resources to achieve those dreams. We will have policy makers who care — who prioritise health, housing, and education — for everyone. By 2025, the Government will care. They will re-invest in youth work, in community supports, in good-quality education. We will have learned that talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not — and we will have changed this here in Ireland, forever!

Buyers will reject AI-generated art

Ruth Medjber, photographer and Irish Independent columnist

I suspect that the next 25 years are going to be revolutionary in the photography industry. With the current exponential rise of AI “art”, it’s hard to see how we can maintain the status quo. Art is always open to experimentation and often requires its creators to take risks with new formats. However, true art also requires feeling and pure human emotion. This is where AI is lacking. I suspect the whole of the art world (including myself) will dabble in AI and exhaust the novelty before long. In 2050, I’d imagine serious art collectors and casual art lovers will be yearning for truth, after all, ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty.’ They’ll seek out handmade art at all costs, rejecting anything that could possibly be computer generated. Analogue negatives will be sold alongside each hand-printed photograph, proving that no digital manipulation has occurred at all. People will buy tactile art that they can possess outright, display in their living rooms and watch as the sunlight casts shadows on its very real surface.

Rewilding will be state sponsored

Eoghan Daltun, writer and rewilding advocate

By 2050, Ireland will have embraced rewilding on a very big scale, in ways that work for everyone, especially farmers and rural communities. This will happen primarily through the State, giving farmers and other local landowners the option of being paid subsidies for rewilding, just as they are now for farming. So it won’t cost the taxpayer an extra cent. Allowing the return of healthy, thriving native ecosystems like rainforest, bogs and other wetlands, wildflower grasslands, wild rivers and so on will bring immeasurable benefits for nature, the climate, tourism, farmers, local communities, flood prevention — and to Irish society as a whole. We will only wonder why we waited so long to accept such joy into our lives.

Flood events will push us to achieve net-zero carbon

John Sweeney, Maynooth University Emeritus professor

Following a catastrophic series of flood events during the 2030s and 2040s, Ireland was finally persuaded to pull its weight in the global fight against climate change and achieve net-zero carbon. Storm events much more severe than the notorious Storm Éowyn, and major losses of coastal infrastructure through increased erosion, finally led to public anger at political failures to take on vested interests in energy, transport and agriculture. The result has been cleaner air, purer water and warmer homes, and avoidance of the punitive fines that had previously been levied on Ireland.

‘Magic’ beans will transform our diets

Conor Spacey, author and culinary director of FoodSpace Ireland

Conor Spacey of FoodSpace Ireland. Photo: Steve Humphreys

With a growing population in 2050 of over 10 billion people, there will be a shift in our diets on a global scale and people will be eating alternative proteins. Beans/legumes are sustainable, affordable, accessible and nutritious. Not only are they better for people but also for the planet, they are nitrogen fixers to improve soil health and a great way to combat climate change. Eating alternative proteins shifts our dependence on livestock agriculture and they’ll be a central part of our food system that prioritises planetary and human well-being while addressing food security challenges.

Public service media will need to innovate

Kevin Bakhurst, director general at RTÉ

An almost unimaginable range of information, content and entertainment will be available to people on devices and using technology we can hardly imagine, wherever you are. Quality and trusted news and programming will be more important than ever, and the way it is funded and delivered will remain a challenge for media organisations and governments. Public service media will still have a role in providing trusted information, bringing people together and reflecting Irish life, but will have to continually innovate and change to deliver for audiences.

Ireland will be a global beacon for peace and unity

Lynn Ruane, Independent senator for Trinity College Dublin

Senator Lynn Ruane. Photo: Conor McCabe

By 2050, Ireland will have moved beyond this post-truth moment, becoming a global beacon for peace and unity. Ireland will be known for championing equity and understanding over power and division. To achieve this, Ireland will eradicate structural and systemic inequality, addressing the drivers of violence and disenfranchisement, including poverty, shame, humiliation and unmet need, and instead choosing to foster safety, connection and solidarity among its people. This philosophy will be integrated into all of society, promoting critical thought and idea generation that enhances well-being, physical and social, throughout the life-course.

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