Cllr Jack Murray ‘honoured’ to be named new chair of Ernact

Buncrana County Councillor Jack Murray says he’s “honoured” to have been named as the new chairperson of Ernact.

Cllr Murray has been appointed chair of the board for the coming year, with Derry Councillor Martin Reilly set to serve as vice-chair.

Ernact (European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology) is an international digital transformation network, based in the CoLab Letterkenny, managed by Donegal County Council and Derry and Strabane District Council.

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It was established to secure EU funding for projects locally, such as the ii Hub at the former Town Council offices in Buncrana.

Ernact has drawn down tens of millions in funding over the decades and its current CEO is Dr Caitriona Strain, from Burnfoot.

Cllr Murray, who represents the Inishowen Municipal District on Donegal County Council, brings considerable experience to the role.

A 40-year-old father-of-one, Murray has been a county councillor for 14 years, having first been co-opted to replace Pádraig MacLochlainn on the Council in March 2011.

A longstanding and active member of Ernact, Cllr Murray has contributed to its mission of advancing digital transformation across European regions. He is also the Donegal representative on the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the Irish alternate representative on Europe's Committee of Regions.

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Commenting on his appointment, Cllr Murray said: “I am honoured to take on the role of chairperson of Ernact. I look forward to strengthening regional innovation and cooperation among European regions through the application of digital technology.”

Ernact said it extends its “sincere thanks” to outgoing chairperson Cllr Conor Heaney, of Derry City and Strabane District Council, for his service over the past twelve months.

Speaking on the appointment of Cllr Murray, Cllr Heaney added: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Cllr Jack Murray on his appointment as chairperson. I have no doubt he will bring valuable insight and continuity to the role, and I wish him every success in the year ahead.”

Meanwhile, Ernact says it continues to pursue its mission of developing and implementing digital transformation projects aligned with EU priorities. The network focuses on supporting Europe’s transition to a digital and green future.