Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade announce €377 million Shared Island investment package

The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, today (23 June) announced that the Government has approved allocations of €377 million from the Shared Island Fund for 12 new projects to be delivered as part of the Initiative over 2027-2030.

• €193 million contribution to Derry-Belfast-Dublin rail infrastructure investment (2027-30)
• €35 million contribution to continue the Dublin-Belfast hourly-frequency rail service (2027-30)
• €40 million contribution to a new Shared Island Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Ports Development scheme (2027-28)
• €33 million contribution to new Lough Neagh Catchment Water Quality programme (2027-31)
• €30 million contribution to the Ulster Canal Phase 3 delivery package (2027-29)
• €20 million contribution to a new Shared Island Industrial Sustainability Challenge Fund (2027-30)
• €13.5 million contribution to Early Learning and Childcare Skills and Settings investment (2026-30)
• €4 million contribution to a total €10 million new Shared Island Digital Creative Industries Innovation Programme (2027-30)
• €3.5 million contribution to Health Cooperation: North West Cancer Support Centre; All-Island Paediatric Metabolic Network; and Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology service development (2027-30)
• €3.5 million contribution to T20 2030 Cricket World Cup target co-hosting facility in Stormont, Belfast (2026-2028)
• €1.6 million contribution to Great Lighthouses of Ireland and other tourism product development and to Cork-Belfast docklands bridges project delivery partnership (2026-28)

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:

The Taoiseach added on specific projects:

Rail investment:

Ports and Offshore Wind:

Lough Neagh Catchments:

“Lough Neagh is a vital natural resource for the island, and the Government has worked with the Executive to support its action plan to address the serious ecological issues being seen there. We are now taking this cooperation to a new level by introducing a Lough Neagh Catchment Area Water Quality Programme. This will support actions in Lough Neagh Catchments North and South, to reduce nutrient losses and sediment losses, and restore ecological habitats, as part of wider investment by both Administrations in water quality.”

Digital Creative Industries:

Early Years:

The Taoiseach concluded:

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee said:

Notes for Editors:

The total allocation from the Shared Island Fund for the 12 projects announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, is €377 million.

Detail on Shared Island Fund allocations:

€193m contribution to Derry-Belfast-Dublin rail infrastructure investment (2027-30):

• The Government has committed a total €193 million through the Shared Island Fund to boost rail connectivity between Derry, Belfast and Dublin by 2030, by increasing line speed, capacity and service resilience, in line with the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) and the joint Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy (RPPS).
• This work will be taken forward by the Minister for Transport, on a co-funding basis with aligned investment by the Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure in both the Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Derry lines.
• Complementing this investment, the two Departments will work with relevant agencies so that there is a 15-20 minute transfer time between the Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Derry lines to enhance connectivity between and the three cities.
• The investment builds on a strong partnership approach between the Government and the Executive on planning and coordinated investment in rail infrastructure and services through the AISRR and RPPS and the €700 million Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme which is in receipt of €165 million in PEACEPLUS funding.

€35m contribution to continue Dublin-Belfast hourly-frequency rail service (2027-2030):

• The Government has allocated €35 million from the Shared Island Fund to continue the hourly-frequency rail service on the Dublin-Belfast line to 2030.
• This will be taken forward by the Minister for Transport with match funding by the Department of Transport.
• The hourly-frequency service was introduced in October 2024 and effectively doubled rail connectivity between Dublin and Belfast as the two largest cities on the island, supporting economic and societal connections, with a 40% increase in passenger numbers in the first year

€40 million contribution to a Shared Island Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Ports Development scheme (2027-28):

• A €40 million contribution from the Shared Island Fund to enable new Shared Island Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Ports Development scheme to enable the expansion of ORE Marshalling and Assembly (M&A) capacity at ports across both jurisdictions on the island.
• The Scheme will be taken forward by the Minister for Transport and his Department in cooperation with Northern Ireland Executive counterparts.

The scheme will enable rapid progress with infrastructure projects at an advanced stage of development. By investing on an island-wide basis, the scheme will increase the capacity, agility and resilience of ORE M&A and support development of island-wide supply chains for ORE. Port infrastructure delivered with support through the scheme will be required to be available to assist in meeting demand for ORE projects that are licenced by the Government or the Executive and which will connect to the grid on the island.

• The Climate Action Plan 2025 recognises the role of ports in enabling future energy transitions and facilitating the development of ORE. This scheme will support ORE targets in Ireland and Northern Ireland and contribute to the UK-Ireland 2030 cooperation objectives. The scheme will also align with Ireland’s 2021 Policy Statement on the Facilitation of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) by Commercial State Ports, and the review of the National Ports Policy (NPP).

€33m contribution to Lough Neagh Catchment Water Quality programme (2027-31):

• A €33 million contribution from the Shared Island Fund will support a new cooperative Lough Neagh Catchment Area Water Quality (LNWQ) programme.
• This follows on from discussion at North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Plenary and Environment Sectoral meetings of the severe ecological issues seen in Lough Neagh and its catchments and the agreement at the NSMC Plenary of 8 April 2024 to share learning, expertise and research.
• The LNWQ programme will be overseen by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and his Executive counterpart on water policy, the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, with related contributions from their respective Departments - over €10 million from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and over €13 million from the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland over 2027-2031.
• The programme will increase each Administration’s overall resource commitments to improve water quality across each jurisdiction, providing over €56 million in total to enhance environmental protection and restoration through interventions at farm and catchment levels.
• The LNWQ programme will provide for the implementation of physical measures along with resourcing, knowledge-exchange and collaboration to support necessary action to improve water quality in the Lough Neagh catchment and address the significant ecological challenges affecting the area.
• Funding of €20 million under PEACEPLUS is also contributing to water quality and management projects on a cross-border basis and for Lough Neagh Catchments.

€30m contribution to the Ulster Canal Phase 3 delivery package (2027-29):

• A further allocation of €30 million is being made from the Shared Island Fund to enable completion of phase 3 of the Ulster Canal restoration, a key commitment in the New Decade, New Approach Agreement.
• The Ulster Canal restoration is being taken forward by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in cooperation with his Executive counterpart, with co-funding for Phase 3 from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage over 2027-29.
• This funding package builds on the Government’s previous €80 million investment in Phase 3, including €40 million from the Shared Island Fund, as well as earlier funding towards Phases 1 and 2, which were completed in 2019 and in 2024 respectively.
• Phase 3, from Clonfad to Castle Saunderson, is the major blueway stage of the restoration project, and consists of 10km of new and refurbished navigable canal, linking Clones to the Erne System and the Shannon-Erne waterway.
• A new 9km section Ulster Canal Greenway will be developed as part of the project, running from Clones to Gortnacarrow.
• The Ulster Canal Blueway will be a Pollinator Corridor as part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan which Waterways Ireland is a partner on.

€20m contribution to Shared Island Industrial Sustainability Challenge Fund (2027-30):

• €20 million is being allocated from the Shared Island Fund towards a new Shared Island Industrial Sustainability Challenge Fund (SIISCF), alongside match-funding of €3m from Enterprise Ireland and €3m from Invest Northern Ireland.
• The SIISCF will support first-of-a-kind industrial sustainability projects on an island-wide basis in defined challenge areas of Flexible Industrial Electrification; Hard-to-Abate Climate Tech; Water Efficiency; and, Circularity, Resource Efficiency and the Bioeconomy.
• The SIISCF will be overseen by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and his Executive counterpart, and delivered by their respective Departments and agencies Enterprise Ireland (EI), Invest Northern Ireland (INI) and InterTradeIreland (ITI).
• The SIISCF builds on the success of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme 2024/25 which has brought cooperation by EI, ITI and INI to a more substantive and strategic level than ever before.

€13.5m contribution to Early Learning and Childcare Skills and Settings investment (2026-30):

• The Government is allocating €13.5 million from the Shared Island Fund to strengthen Skills and Settings in Early Learning and Childcare across the island.
• This multi-year investment will be delivered on a cooperative basis, overseen by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality and her Executive counterparts, and co-funded with €22.3 million from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality over 2027-30.
• This funding package for early learning and childcare will:
  • provide 1,000 additional places for early years educators to upskill, with 40% of new places dedicated for participants from Northern Ireland;
  • deliver an awareness, training and capacity-building programme with tailored resources to support the needs of all young children particularly those with additional needs. This will be available in over 10,500 early learning and childcare services, including registered childminders, across the island; and,
  • deepen relationships and strengthen collaboration between early years educators, early learning and childcare providers and policy makers, including a North South policy forum for lesson-sharing.

€4m contribution to Shared Island Digital Creative Industries Innovation Programme (2027-30):

• €4 million will be made available from the Shared Island Fund for a new €10m programme to strengthen the island’s Digital Creative Industries sector, by building innovation capacity within Higher Education institutions (HEIs) and industry across the island.
• The Shared Island Digital Creative Industries Innovation Programme will be taken forward by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, co-funded with an additional €6 million from his Department.

The Programme will advance objectives of the Government’s Digital Creative Industries Roadmap 2024–2026 as part of the NDP Review Tertiary Sector Sectoral Investment Plan 2025-2030 and:

Build R&I capacity in HEIs aligned with needs of the Digital Creative Industries;

Enhance collaboration between HEIs to build relevant R&I capacity; and

Leverage existing capacity on a cross-border basis, including Northern Ireland’s screen and immersive media infrastructure.

The programme will be delivered through a competitive funding call by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), building on the success to date of the North South Research Programme also operated by the HEA.

€3.5m contribution to Health Cooperation: North West Cancer Support Centre; All-Island Paediatric Metabolic Network; and Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology service development (2027-30):

• A €3.5 million allocation from the Shared Island Fund will support three new cross-border health sector cooperation projects, agreed by the Minister for Health and her Executive counterpart.
• These projects will be delivered on a co-funding basis with additional resourcing through the Department of Health over 2027-30. They involve:
• North West Cancer Support Centre: Expanding services at the North West Cancer Centre (NWCC) at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry to provide a range of survivorship services and psychosocial supports to people with cancer and their families, delivered by and co-funded with Cancer Focus NI (CFNI) with a new premises to be co-located with the NWCC, with the support and provision of a site by the NI Department of Health and Western Health and Social Care Trust.
• The announcement of increased patient support services at NWCC comes ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the centre in November 2026, construction of which was funded on a cross-border basis. The support centre will be open to all cross-border cancer patients attending the NWCC for radiotherapy treatment, and on a walk-in basis to any cancer patient from the South seeking cancer support services.
• The announcement also coincides with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the HSE Donegal Integrated Healthcare Area and Western Health and Social Care Trust for a regional partnership for education, skills & capacity development, research, innovation and service development in the North West.
• All-Island Paediatric Metabolic Network: Scoping work to assess the feasibility of establishing a specialist paediatric metabolic service on an all-island basis, to ensure patients receive care from robust services as close to home as possible.
• Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology service development: Capacity-building for a more robust perinatal and paediatric pathology service in Ireland, and to support working on an all-island basis. Both Health Departments will continue to explore, informed by demand and capacity, how perinatal and paediatric pathology services are provided on a cooperative all-island basis.

€3.5m contribution to T20 2030 Cricket World Cup target co-hosting facility in Stormont, Belfast (2026-2028):

• The Minister for Communications, Culture and Sport will, with an allocation of €3.5 million from the Shared Island Fund, progress a Government contribution to complete the funding package for redevelopment of cricket facilities on the Stormont Estate in Belfast, the target location for co-hosting games in Northern Ireland as part of joint hosting by Ireland and the UK of the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in 2030.
• This will contribute to implementation of the Programme for Government commitment to ‘promote an all-island approach to hosting major international sporting events...including supporting the hosting of the T20 Cricket World Cup 2030’.
• The Northern Ireland Executive has already confirmed funding for the redevelopment of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association (NICSSA) cricket facility at Stormont. Cricket Ireland and NICSSA are also contributing £1m/€1.15m each through FTC loans.
• The T20 World Cup will require multiple international-standard venues across Ireland and the UK. It is likely to be the largest ever sporting event held on the island in terms of broadcast reach and overseas engagement, with the 2022 T20 World Cup having 3.95bn hours watched across all platforms.

€0.8m for Great Lighthouses of Ireland and Carlingford Lough tourism product development (2026-28):

• An allocation of €820,000 from the Shared Island Fund will be taken forward by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, to provide support for further development of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland initiative, as well Carlingford Lough tourism product development.
• The Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI) initiative has been successfully led over the last 10 years by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, a North South Implementation Body, as an all-island tourism and maritime heritage partnership.
• The Shared Island funding contribution will enable delivery of key elements of the GLI strategy 2025-30 overseen by a dedicated inter-agency project coordination group comprising Irish Lights, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta, in consultation with the Department for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
• There will also be support for a feasibility assessment and economic appraisal, building on initial work commissioned by Louth County Council in 2025. of a ‘Loop of the Lough’ tourism product concept to link key attractions on both sides of Carlingford Lough, complementing strong investment by the Government to date for development of sustainable tourism in the region, as well as Shared Island funding to construct the Narrow Water Bridge.

€0.8m to Cork-Belfast docklands bridges project delivery partnership (2026-28):

• A total contribution of €800,000 from the Shared Island Fund towards further development stage work of docklands bridge projects in Cork and Belfast respectively, alongside funding from both Administrations and both City Councils.
• This builds on feasibility work undertaken as part of the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding scheme by Cork City Council and Belfast City Council, in consultation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Department for Infrastructure Northern Ireland, to examine potential collaborative cross-border docklands regeneration investment projects.
• Following on from this work, the two Councils will now take forward development of a priority docklands bridge project in each city on a cooperative basis - Kent Station Bridge in Cork and Sailortown Bridge in Belfast.
• There will be a €400,000 contribution from the Shared Island Fund to each project, to be taken forward by the Council on a collaborative basis and confirming necessary funding contributions from other relevant sources.
• Cork City Council and Belfast City Council will continue to cooperate to progress development of the two bridge projects on a collaborative basis as part of their docklands regeneration programmes and the projects will be advanced as complementary investments which demonstrate the potential of Cork and Belfast working together as major regional cities supporting balanced all-island development