iNOG::16 - We are back baby!

So, we need to talk about iNOG again and maybe it’s time for me to start blogging again. This blog site has been largely dormant for several years now. In fact it feels like this is something of a full circle moment. Back when I was a little more active updating this blog and adding blog posts, I was writing about iNOG - the Irish Network Operator Group and the in-person meetups of the group.

Ironically, this evening, the 10th September 2026, we saw the long awaited return to in-person meetings of the iNOG and I coulnd’t be happier about it. I’m buzzing actually. Back in 2019, when we last had an in-person meeting, I was on the then program committee and whilst I could probably lie and say that I was heavily involved in running the meetings, I have to admit that in reality I was very much taking direction from Cristian and Dónal and following their led.

This time around, I do feel comfortable saying that I was heavily involved in putting on the show as it were. Cristian and I started having conversations about the potential of a return to having iNOG events in any serious way as far back as the RIPE91 meeting in Cristian’s home city of Bucharest, Romania. We had spoken about trying to run the meetings/events again from time to time on slack in a very ad-hoc was and pretty sporadically during the dormant period before the RIPE meeting. However it was the RIPE meeting that seemed to be the real catalyst.

During the meeting, the RIPE NCC had a “NOG Organaiser” meeting. Cristian had still been in touch with this group of organisers from previously leading and indeed being a founding organiser of the iNOG meetings. Cristian also knew I would be in attendance in Romania and thought it would be a good idea if I came along to the RIPE NCC meeting with him to see if we could get some advice etc about trying to restart the iNOG. And so the seed was properly sowen and a plan was hatched.

At this point, I want to say a very public THANK YOU to my now employer Asiera. As soon as I had tentatively suggested that we could host the reboot/relaunch event in Asiera HQ in Dublin, Dónal (other Dónal this time - Dónal Cunningham) and I received complete and total support. It felt extremely fitting that this evening’s meeting was hosted by Asiera to be honest.

We couldn’t be happier with the turn out and encouragement to continue we received. There was a real buzz about the place and it was great to see iNOG back and the Network Engineering community of Ireland responding with engagement and attendance.

Thank you so very much to Colin Whittaker for his incredibly well received “show and tell” of the Amazon legacy server and switching technology and our fabulous speakers Colin MacGiollaEáin, Jason Edelman, Douglas Rodrigues, Liam Taylor and Dónal Cunningham. We’ll have recordings up shortly that you’ll find in the usual spot