Budget 2026: Ministers Calleary and Buttimer secure €611 million in funding for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
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From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 8 October 2025
- Last updated on: 8 October 2025
- €192 million secured for continued delivery of rural development schemes, with increased funding for the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), CLÁR, Outdoor Recreation, and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
- €260 million for community development schemes, with increased funding for the Community Services Programme (CSP); and funding for a new RAPID-style scheme to commence in 2026.
- Additional funding of over €36 million for Gaeltacht, the Irish Language, and for the Islands. This provides €159 million for enhanced supports across a range of schemes and for delivery of key capital projects – Inis Oírr pier, the Irish Language and Cultural Centre in Harcourt Street, and the new Educational and Youth Facility in Indreabhán, Co Galway.
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, and Minister of State, Jerry Buttimer TD, today announced a Budget package worth €611 million for 2026.
This funding ensures continued investment across the range of current and capital schemes operated by the Department, supporting the economic and social development of communities right across the country, including the Gaeltacht and the Islands.
The Department’s Rural Development programme will total €192 million, continuing the sustained investment of recent years and supporting the range of schemes that are key to delivery of Our Rural Future. Funding increases will be made available for the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), CLÁR, Outdoor Recreation, Town and Village Renewal.
Across the Community Development area total funding of €260 million will be available for 2026. €74 million is being allocated to SICAP and other social inclusion supports. This includes €13 million per annum for important community integration work, helping to support new arrivals.
The Community Services Programme will increase by €4 million, to €59.4 million and funding for the Community Centre Investment Fund will increase by €3 million to €20 million which will support targeted measures to assist communities in becoming more storm resilient.
Funding of €159 million will be available in 2026 for the Gaeltacht, Irish Language and Islands Programme, an increase of over €36 million. This allocation will provide a wide range of supports to Gaeltacht areas and fund initiatives to strengthen the Irish language. It will also support the development of our island communities and the provision of vital transport services for the islands. Increased capital investment will also enable significant infrastructure projects to be delivered over the coming years.
Speaking today, Minister Calleary said:
“I’m pleased to have secured funding of €611 million for my Department as part of Budget 2026. This builds on strong investment in recent years, and it demonstrates the Government’s continued support for rural and community development, the Gaeltacht, and the Islands. This funding will benefit communities up and down the country.
“With this level of investment, we can continue to deliver on the aims of ‘Our Rural Future’ and start the implementation of its successor policy, which will be launched next year.”
Minister Calleary added:
“I am particularly pleased with securing a 29% increase in the overall funding allocation for the Gaeltacht, the Irish Language and the Islands. This will allow additional support for existing schemes and facilitate the roll-out of a number of new initiatives. It will also enable the delivery of three key infrastructure projects: Inis Oírr pier, the Irish Language and Cultural Centre in Harcourt Street, and redevelopment of the Coláiste Lurgan site in Indreabhán as an Educational and Youth Hub for the Conamara Gaeltacht. These are transformative projects that, once delivered, will benefit both Gaeltacht communities and the language for years to come.”
Minister of State Buttimer, who has responsibility for Community Development and Charities, added:
“Budget 2026 will support the Government’s ongoing commitment to promote social inclusion, community development, and the community and voluntary sector. €260 million in funding will be available in 2026 for the community development sector. This will benefit both rural and urban communities – and will also provide vital support in areas such as community integration, the provision of community services, and the enhancement of community infrastructure.”
Notes
The budget provision of €611 million for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht will provide funding of €192 million for rural development; €260 million for community development, €159 million for Gaeltacht and Irish Language Supports and the Islands. The Department will have €273 million for capital investment, with the remaining €338 million for current expenditure supports.
Budget 2026 will allow continued strong implementation of rural development through:
- Significant capital investment in rural areas through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (€60 million), the LEADER programme (€32 million), the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (€21 million), CLáR (€12 million), the Local Improvement Scheme (€17 million), and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (€17 million).
- Ongoing current funding supports for initiatives such as the Walks Scheme; Tidy Towns competition, Agriculture Shows, and promotion of remote working through the Connected Hubs initiative.
The Community Development funding will allow for:
- Increase of €4 million for the Community Services Programme, with its annual allocation increasing from €55.4 million to €59.4 million.
- Funding of almost €74 million for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme and similar supports. This includes €13 million which will continue to support new arrivals and the communities in which they settle.
- The development of a new RAPID programme with €5 million in capital funding for 2026.
- Additional €3 million in funding for the Community Centre Investment Fund, meaning €20 million for investment in 2026.
- Additional €3.8 million in funding for the PEACEPLUS Programme, bringing total funding to €11 million.
- Enhanced supports for a wide range of community development initiatives such as volunteering, and supports for the community and voluntary sector – with €23.1 million in funding available for this area. In addition, €5 million in funding is available for social innovation, social enterprise, and philanthropy.
- Funding of €6.77 million for the Charities Regulatory Authority.
For the Gaeltacht, the Irish Language and the Islands:
- The overall allocation has increase by €36 million to €159 million in 2026 – and increase of 29% for the programme area as a whole.
- This will allow increased investment in the linguistic, economic, cultural and social development of Irish-speaking communities both within and outside the Gaeltacht, and on our offshore Islands. Current funding increases include an additional €3 million for Language Planning initiatives, an additional €2 million for Irish Language Support Schemes and an additional €1.5 million for Gaeltacht Support Schemes.
- Increased current funding of €2 million is available for North-South co-operation on a number of fronts, including the work of Foras na Gaeilge, the Ulster-Scots Agency, Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge and Colmcille.
- Funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta will increase by €2.5 million which includes an increase of €1 million in its capital allocation.
- The additional capital funding will ensure continued investment in Gaeltacht and Island communities, and support the delivery of three infrastructure projects committed to in the National Development Plan: Inis Oírr pier in County Galway; an innovative Irish Language and Cultural Hub on Harcourt Street in order to serve the needs of the increasing numbers of Irish-speakers in the capital, and; the re-development of the Coláiste Lurgan site in Conamara as an Educational and Youth Hub for the region.
- Funding for island transport services will increase by €0.5 million to €11.5 million.
Further details on all programmes administered by the Department can be found at www.gov.ie/drcdg