The second annual meeting of the Irish Society for Gene and Cell Therapy was held in Cork, Ireland on May 15 and 16, 2008 (http://crr.ucc.ie/isgct/). The meeting was jointly organized with the British Society for Gene Therapy and the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer. Because of the location of the conference and the co-organization of this meeting with the British and International Gene Therapy societies, the meeting enjoyed a range of talks from some of the major leaders in the field. Particularly notable were the talented molecular and cell biologists from Ireland who have contributed cutting edge science to the field of gene therapy. Topics including cardiovascular disease, repair of single-gene disorders, and cancer gene therapy were discussed with presentations ranging from basic research to translation into the clinic. Here we describe some of the most exciting presentations and their potential impact on imminent clinical gene therapy trials.