Ireland’s climate is changing in line with international trends, with extreme weather events, along with sea level rise and coastal erosion, highlighting an adaptation deficit nationally (Murphy et al., 2024). These changes are already impacting Ireland’s economy, society and environment, with a 2013 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study estimating that adaptation costs range from€ 80–800 million annually (EPA, 2013). Moreover, the cost to the Irish economy of climate change is anticipated to be billions of euros per year by 2050 (Murphy et al., 2024). Adaptation is therefore needed. Adaptation as a policy issue is a relatively recent strategy in Ireland. Until 2012, national efforts to deal with climate change centred primarily on mitigation practices (GOI, 2018). However, Ireland’s first and second statutory National Adaptation Frameworks (NAFs) were published in 2018 and 2024, respectively (GOI, 2018, 2024a). The NAF was established to ensure that local authorities (LAs), regions and key sectors assess climate change risks and vulnerabilities, implement actions to build resilience to climate change, and ensure adaptation considerations are mainstreamed into all local, regional and national policymaking.