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ORIS: €16 million funding available to support outdoor recreation amenities
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
A major €16 million fund to support hundreds of outdoor recreation projects across the country is currently open for applications.
The 2023 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) will see the development of our natural amenities such as our mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, blue-ways, bogs, forest walks and uplands.
Grants up to €500,000 are available under the scheme, which places a particular focus on developing amenities for adventure tourism in rural Ireland.
Among the activities that will be invested in include walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, sailing, paragliding and kite-surfing.
The scheme is administered at a local level by local authorities and local development companies. It will prioritise projects which have evidence of strong community engagement.
The Measures being funded under ORIS 2023 are as follows.
| Measure | Purpose | Application deadline |
| Measure 1 | Small scale projects requiring funding of up to €30,000 | 5 September |
| Measure 2 | Medium scale projects with funding of up to €200,000 | 27 October |
| Measure 3 | Large scale projects seeking funding of up to €500,000 | 27 October |
| Project Development Measure | Funding of up to €50,000 for development costs for strategic large scale projects | 28 July |
ORIS builds on the commitment under 'Our Rural Future' and is a key strand in 'Embracing Ireland's Outdoors', the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023 - 2027 which is set to shape the future of outdoor recreation over the next five years.
The Strategy aims to increase the number of people active in the outdoors, especially young people and under-represented groups, and to foster a greater understanding of how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
Building on this, the projects that will be supported under ORIS are designed to benefit the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they are located.
The funding will provide not only an outlet for the communities in which they are situated but will also deliver added value from a tourism perspective.
Full details on ORIS 2023, including the scheme outline, are available below.