What has the EU ever done for us? Plenty, according to a new publication issued by the European Commission Representation in Ireland.

The publication is called What’s the Story? – 25 Stories about Ireland and Europe, and comprises 25 stories that highlights some of the ways that Ireland benefits from European Union membership.

Among the projects featured in the publication are EU-backed initiatives to save the curlew in Galway, help The Shed Distiller in Leitrim expand internationally, map the North Atlantic and research eye disease solutions in Waterford.

The new publication was launched this week in Leinster House by Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl. “[It] contains rich, personal stories of the real ways that European cooperation opens the door to economic opportunity and cultural enrichment, both for Irish people and for our fellow Europeans wishing to strengthen ties with Ireland,” said Ó Fearghaíl.

Helen McEntee, European affairs minister, added that since joining the EU in 1973, Ireland had moved from “an isolated island on the fringes of Europe to a modern island at the heart of the EU”.

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Citizens who featured in 25 Stories publication also attended the launch. Other speakers at the event included Margaret Malone of the National Transport Authority, Professor John Nolan from Waterford IT and Moya Doherty, Producer and RTE chair.

An online version of the publication can be accessed for free in Irish and English. Hard copies of the 30-page booklet can be requested from the European Commission office on Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Photo: Seán Ó Fearghaíl (left) and Gerry Kiely, head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland (Pic: Maxwell Photography)