Writers Guild of Ireland (Writers Guild of Ireland)

Lobbying Organisation Writers Guild of Ireland

Date published 31 Aug, 2026

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Arts

Period 1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026

Specific Details Lobbying Social Democrat TD Sinéad Gibney on a wide range of challenges facing writers on the island of Ireland

Intended results To open a dialogue with Sinead Gibney TD, who sits on the Media Committee, to highlight issues facing writers today. To explore whether some of these issues could be raised by Sinead Gibney as PQ's.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Ciaran Hayden, WGI Executive Director

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Virtual Meeting (1)

The Meeting took place on Teams, and the WGI Chair, Jennifer Davidson was also present to contribute to the discussion. Subjects raised included collective bargaining, AI and copyright, the EU Copyright Directive, and Revenue's interpretation of criteria for screenwriters trying to secure the Artist's Exemption.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Sinéad Gibney TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)