More than 500 psychologists, researchers, academics, policymakers, advocates and students from across Ireland and beyond will gather in Galway this week for the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) Annual Conference 2026.
Taking place at the Galway Bay Hotel from Wednesday to Friday, November 11 – 13, the three-day Conference will feature more than 240 presentations, symposia and workshops exploring the role psychology can play in understanding and responding to some of the major social and health issues affecting individuals, families and communities.
The Conference will feature three keynote speakers across the three-day programme:
- Prof. Yseult Freeney, Full Professor of Organisational Psychology at DCU Business School, will explore how relationships and social support can help people navigate change in their working lives, maintain a sense of identity and support wellbeing through periods of uncertainty.
- Dr Duncan Gillard, Principal Psychologist at Enable Trust, will explore evidence-based psychological approaches to supporting young people, including how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help young people navigate challenges and develop psychological flexibility.
- Louise O’Keeffe, prominent campaigner, will deliver the final keynote, sharing her perspective on seeking justice and accountability following childhood sexual abuse in Irish national schools and bringing a lived-experience perspective to the Conference programme.
Research being presented in Galway will explore topics including:
- Farmers’ and farmworkers’ mental health and suicide risk.
- The psychological impact of Ireland’s defective concrete crisis.
- AI-generated child sexual abuse material and prevention.
- Anxiety-related content on TikTok.
- Postpartum sleep support for first-time parents.
- Parents’ experiences of Voice of the Child assessments in Irish family courts.
- Irish patients’ experiences of travelling abroad for endometriosis care.
- Women’s experiences of maternity care when considered to be of “advanced maternal age.
Across three days and five parallel streams, the wider programme will span health, education, wellbeing, forensic and clinical psychology, autism and neurodiversity, addiction, agriculture, technology and AI.
