About our conference
The Conference of Irish Geographers is the annual conference of the Geographical Society of Ireland held in collaboration with the university Geography Departments across the island of Ireland.
Geographical Society of Ireland
The Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI), the professional representative organisation of geographers in Ireland, was founded in 1934. Over eighty years later, the GSI continues to raise awareness of the value and impact of Geography in Ireland and beyond, through a diverse range of activities and collaborations. Our society strives to promote the status and study of geography in Ireland and enhance its international reputation. The GSI aims to raise awareness of the value and impact of Geography in Ireland through a variety of activities at home and internationally. Society members are actively engaged in enhancing the international profile of Irish geography through their engagement with the International Geographical Union (IGU), RGS-IBG, Association of American Geographers (AAG) and other international groupings. We also actively engage to influence government and other organisations on matters of strategic importance, including the status of the subject in the primary and secondary educational systems.
The 2026 conference theme
Under the theme Connected Environments: Integration and Rebellion, the 2026 conference invited participants to engage, collaborate and rethink how geographical knowledge is produced and shared.
At its core, CIG 2026 was built around geography’s defining strength, its ability to engage with environmental, social and spatial change in connected ways. By creating space for physical, human and environmental geographers to think alongside one another, the conference sought to reflect on the complexity of the systems we study, and the urgency of the challenges societies now face. Integration is central to the conference. To strengthen connections across sub-disciplines, while also encouraging conversations that link landscapes and climate with communities, governance and place. At its heart, CIG 2026 was about moving beyond silos to support geographical research that is connected and responsive to real-world challenges. Rebellion signals a willingness to think differently, to question assumptions, embrace innovation. To also rethink teaching and engagement practices and explore new directions for geography as a discipline.
Set within Cork city, CIG 2026 offered a platform to generate momentum that extends beyond the event itself. We invited contributions that stimulated discussion, forged new connections and demonstrated how integrative, forward-looking geographical thinking can help shape more resilient environments, stronger communities, and sustainable futures.
Recent previous hosts and themes
2025 Queen's University Belfast: Adaptation
2024 35th International Geographical Congress, Dublin City University: Celebrating a World of Difference
2023 University College Dublin in Wexford: Resilience
2022 University of Limerick: Transformations
2021 Trinity College Dublin: Geographies of Responsibility: Rethinking Boundaries in a Turbulent World
2019 7th EUGEO (Association of Geographical Societies in Europe), University of Galway: Re-imagining Europe’s Future Society and Landscapes
2018 Maynooth University: The Earth as Our Home
2017 University College Cork: Disruptions and Transgressions
Geographical Society of Ireland
The Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI), the professional representative organisation of geographers in Ireland, was founded in 1934. Over eighty years later, the GSI continues to raise awareness of the value and impact of Geography in Ireland and beyond, through a diverse range of activities and collaborations. Our society strives to promote the status and study of geography in Ireland and enhance its international reputation. The GSI aims to raise awareness of the value and impact of Geography in Ireland through a variety of activities at home and internationally. Society members are actively engaged in enhancing the international profile of Irish geography through their engagement with the International Geographical Union (IGU), RGS-IBG, Association of American Geographers (AAG) and other international groupings. We also actively engage to influence government and other organisations on matters of strategic importance, including the status of the subject in the primary and secondary educational systems.
The 2026 conference theme
Under the theme Connected Environments: Integration and Rebellion, the 2026 conference invited participants to engage, collaborate and rethink how geographical knowledge is produced and shared.
At its core, CIG 2026 was built around geography’s defining strength, its ability to engage with environmental, social and spatial change in connected ways. By creating space for physical, human and environmental geographers to think alongside one another, the conference sought to reflect on the complexity of the systems we study, and the urgency of the challenges societies now face. Integration is central to the conference. To strengthen connections across sub-disciplines, while also encouraging conversations that link landscapes and climate with communities, governance and place. At its heart, CIG 2026 was about moving beyond silos to support geographical research that is connected and responsive to real-world challenges. Rebellion signals a willingness to think differently, to question assumptions, embrace innovation. To also rethink teaching and engagement practices and explore new directions for geography as a discipline.
Set within Cork city, CIG 2026 offered a platform to generate momentum that extends beyond the event itself. We invited contributions that stimulated discussion, forged new connections and demonstrated how integrative, forward-looking geographical thinking can help shape more resilient environments, stronger communities, and sustainable futures.
Recent previous hosts and themes
2025 Queen's University Belfast: Adaptation
2024 35th International Geographical Congress, Dublin City University: Celebrating a World of Difference
2023 University College Dublin in Wexford: Resilience
2022 University of Limerick: Transformations
2021 Trinity College Dublin: Geographies of Responsibility: Rethinking Boundaries in a Turbulent World
2019 7th EUGEO (Association of Geographical Societies in Europe), University of Galway: Re-imagining Europe’s Future Society and Landscapes
2018 Maynooth University: The Earth as Our Home
2017 University College Cork: Disruptions and Transgressions
