Dr Melanie McKee delivers a guest speaker presentation at the All-Island Physical Literacy Forum

On Friday 16 May 2025, Stranmillis lecturer Dr Melanie McKee delivered a guest speaker presentation at Ireland’s first Physical Literacy Forum, which was convened by Sport Ireland and titled ‘Getting Children to Move: A Collaborative Approach to Developing Physical Literacy’.  

The Forum was hosted at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin and commenced with a welcome from Michael McGeehin, the director of Sport Ireland Coaching, and his colleague Sheelagh Quinn. This was followed by Melanie’s presentation on the All-Island Physical Literacy Consensus Statement.  

Her presentation highlighted why a Consensus Statement was needed and then outlined the evidence-informed and consultative process entailed during its creation. Melanie was invited to speak at this event in her role as an advisor to Sport Ireland regarding the strategic development of physical literacy within and across the north and south of Ireland. This role involved Melanie being a co-author of the All-Island Physical Literacy Consensus Statement and the designer of the Understanding Physical Literacy Course and Information Booklet that Sport Ireland commissioned to facilitate a consistent understanding of the all-island definition of physical literacy in the Consensus Statement.  

The other guest speakers were Clare Roberts from Sport Wales and Dr Nalda Wainwright from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David who provided an update on strategic policy and good practice in physical literacy within Wales.  

 The event was concluded by Declan O’Leary from Sport Ireland Coaching who reinforced the importance of the Ireland Physical Literacy Forum as it provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange in practice, research and policy.  

Speaking about the event, Melanie  said “It was a privilege to be asked to share Ireland’s physical literacy Consensus Statement journey with delegates. Ireland, alongside Northern Ireland, was the second country in the world and the first country in Europe to have a physical literacy Consensus Statement. All of the practitioners, researchers and policy makers involved in the creation, dissemination and implementation of the Consensus Statement should be proud of this achievement. Hopefully, these current and future collaborations will continue to help promote a culture wherein lifelong physical literacy and physical activity for all are valued and promoted.”