Ireland's Arctic Strategy: Building Bridges to the North

The Arctic region is of global importance due to the escalating impact of climate change, emerging economic opportunities andgeopolitical dynamics. These changes in the Arctic affect Ireland because of its proximity to the region and its location in theNorth Atlantic. Despite being on a Northern periphery, Ireland lacks a transparent model for its involvement in Arcticgovernance. Irish interest in the Arctic is growing due to the country's rich polar tradition and strong research base onoceanography, biodiversity, and climate change impact. There is a clear “gap in Ireland’s engagement in the Arctic, andsuccessful stewarding of the Arctic is in Ireland’s best interest” (Cronin, 2021). Therefore, two research questions arise. Firstly,given Ireland’s experience as a proactive “global actor and bridge builder” (Government of Ireland, 2020) in the internationalarena, what role could it play, and what can it contribute to the Arctic? Secondly, as the Global Ireland multi-year Strategyto 2025 (Government of Ireland, 2023) comes to an end, should Ireland develop its Arctic regional Strategy? The mainstrategic Arctic themes for Ireland are ripe for exploration. The political landscape of the Arctic region is rapidly changingand being reimagined (Koivurova et al., 2022). It is, therefore, important to review Ireland’s position in this context. Thispaper serves as an initial step towards a more comprehensive policy analysis of Ireland’s role in the Arctic. The main findingsof the paper highlight the growing significance of the Arctic region due to climate change and geopolitical dynamics, emphasisingIreland's strategic interest in the area. The paper also underscores the need for Ireland to eliminate the current fragmentedapproach to Arctic policy and formulate a comprehensive Arctic Strategy to proactively engage with the evolving Arctic politicallandscape, environmental protection and economic opportunities.