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TL;DR
PyCon Ireland 2026 takes place on 17 October at Trinity College Dublin. The Call for Proposals is open until 30 August. Two tracks get special focus this year: Python security and AI with Python. First-time speakers are welcome. Financial aid up to €350 is available. Submit at 2026.pycon.ie/cfp.
I’m part of the team organising PyCon Ireland 2026, and the Call for Proposals opened on 25 May. If you’ve been carrying a Python idea around (something you built, broke, learned, or want to share), now is the time to write it up.
What kind of talk are we looking for?
The short answer: anything Python.
Real-world use cases, library deep-dives, open source stories, data science, scientific computing, IoT, education, community experiences. If Python is involved and you have something genuine to say, that’s a proposal worth submitting.
Two tracks are getting dedicated space this year:
- Python Security: secure coding, supply chain security, threat modelling, vulnerabilities. This is underrepresented at most Python conferences. If you work in this space, we want to hear from you.
- AI with Python: LLMs, agentic AI, RAG, responsible AI engineering. The useful stuff that goes beyond the hype.
Neither track requires you to be a specialist. A developer who spent two months battling supply chain issues has as much to offer as a researcher writing papers on the topic.
First-time speakers
PyCon Ireland has always been a conference where first-timers have a real shot. A smaller event (by PyCon standards) means a less intimidating room and a more engaged audience. If you’ve never spoken at a conference before and you’ve been looking for the right moment, this is a reasonable one.
The main requirement is having something real to say. Not polished slides. Not a survey of everything that exists. A problem you ran into, how you approached it, what you learned.
How to write a proposal that gets accepted
A good proposal answers four things clearly:
- Context — what problem or topic are you addressing?
- Approach — how does your talk tackle it?
- Takeaway — what does the audience leave with?
- Audience — who is this for? (beginner / intermediate / advanced)
One practical note from the CFP itself: proposals written entirely or substantially by an LLM will not be accepted. The committee wants your voice and your ideas, not a generated summary of a topic. Use AI to refine a draft if you want, but the idea and the substance have to be yours.
Financial aid
If ticket cost is a barrier, financial aid is available on request, capped at €350. It’s not automatic — you need to request it — but it exists and the process is straightforward.
All speakers are expected to purchase a ticket (this is a community-run, volunteer-organized event). The financial aid covers that cost for those who need it.
Key dates and links
| CFP opens | 25 May 2026 |
| CFP closes | 30 August 2026 |
| Conference | 17 October 2026 |
| Venue | Trinity College Dublin |
- Submit a proposal: 2026.pycon.ie/cfp
- Conference site: 2026.pycon.ie
- Python Ireland community: python.ie
If you have a question about whether your idea is a good fit, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to give feedback on a rough outline before you commit to a full proposal.