Irish government at all levels is currently undergoing arguably its most intensive period of reorganisation and realignment since independence. The future shape and role of local government has been the focus of recent media consideration, but less emphasis has been given to the current and proposed developments affecting nonelected local and regional public bodies.
In this paper, building on a survey of local and regional bodies in Ireland published by the Institute of Public Administration in 2007, the current landscape of Irish sub-national governance is considered, and a number of issues pertinent to the reform agenda are raised.