Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (Irish: An Roinn Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote and develop Ireland's tourism, culture, and art; and to advance the use of the Irish language, including the development of the Gaeltacht. It is led by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.

Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

Department overview
Formed	8 July 1977
Jurisdiction	Government of Ireland
Headquarters	Kildare Street, Dublin 53°20′24″N 6°15′21″W
Minister responsible	Patrick O'Donovan, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport
Department executive	Feargal Ó Coigligh, Secretary General
Website	Official website

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are on Kildare Street, Dublin. The department also has offices in South Frederick Street in Dublin, Na Forbacha in Galway and in New Road, Killarney, County Kerry. The departmental team consists of the following:

• Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport: Patrick O'Donovan, TD
  • Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport with special responsibility for sport and postal policy: Charlie McConalogue, TD
• Secretary General of the Department: Feargal Ó Coigligh

Overview

In carrying out its mandate the department undertakes a variety of functions including:

• formulation, development and evaluation of policy and structures to promote and foster the practice and appreciation of the creative and interpretative arts and to encourage the development of the Irish film industry;
• enabling the national cultural institutions to preserve and protect Ireland's movable heritage and cultural assets;
• creating an environment enabling the National Cultural Institutions to flourish through the provision of financial resources and an appropriate policy framework.

The department is responsible for funding national cultural institutions such as:

• National Gallery of Ireland
• National Library of Ireland
• National Museum of Ireland

and organisations such as:

• Arts Council of Ireland (which also acts as the "Cultural Contact Point" to access EU cultural programme funding);
• Culture Ireland

Culture

Creating an environment enabling the National Cultural Institutions to flourish through the provision of financial resources and an appropriate policy framework. The National Cultural Institutions include: the National Archives of Ireland, National Concert Hall, National Library of Ireland, National Museum of Ireland, Chester Beatty Library, Irish Museum of Modern Art and National Gallery of Ireland. Formulation, development and evaluation of policy and structures to promote and foster the practice and appreciation of the creative and interpretative arts and to encourage the development of the Irish film industry; enabling the national cultural institutions, as integral elements of the national culture, to preserve, protect and present for the benefit of present and future generations our moveable heritage and cultural assets.

History

The department was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1977 as the Department of Economic Planning and Development, an act of the 15th government of Ireland led by Jack Lynch. This act provided its function as:^[1]

(a) to promote and coordinate economic and social planning for the development of the economy both generally and as respects different sectors thereof and different regions of the country,

(b) to identify the policies it considers necessary for general economic and social development and to report thereon to the Government,

(c) to identify in consultation with Departments of State and to review and appraise the plans and activities of such Departments giving effect to the policies for general economic and social development adopted by the Government,

(d) to make proposals to the Government for the coordination of the plans and activities referred to in paragraph (c) of this subsection and for their integration with national economic and social plans and

(e) to review the implementation of such national economic and social plans as may be approved by the Government from time to time and to report thereon to the Government.

Over the years the name and functions of the department have changed several times.

Date	Change
13 December 1977	Establishment of the Department of Economic Planning and Development[2]
1 January 1980	Transfer of Economic Planning to the Department of Finance[3]
21 January 1980	Renamed as the Department of Energy[4]
22 January 1980	Transfer of Energy from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy[5]
20 August 1981	Transfer of Industry from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism[6]
21 August 1981	Renamed as the Department of Industry and Energy[7]
16 December 1983	Transfer of Industry to the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism[8]
17 December 1983	Renamed as the Department of Energy[9]
20 January 1993	Transfer of Forestry to the Department of Agriculture and Food[10]
20 January 1993	Transfer of Trade from the Department of Industry and Commerce[11]
20 January 1993	Transfer of Tourism from the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications[12]
20 January 1993	Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Trade[13]
21 January 1993	Transfer of Energy to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications[14]
11 July 1997	Transfer of Trade to the Department of Enterprise and Employment[15]
12 July 1997	Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation[16]
18 June 2002	Transfer of Horse and Greyhound Racing from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development[17]
18 June 2002	Transfer of Arts and Culture from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands[18]
19 June 2002	Renamed as the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism[19]
25 June 2002	Transfer of the Genealogical Office from the Department of Education and Science[20]
10 July 2002	Transfer of National Monuments from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs[21]
1 May 2010	Transfer of Horse and Greyhound Racing to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food[22]
2 May 2010	Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport[23]
1 April 2011	Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Transport[24]
1 May 2011	Transfer of Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Islands from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs[25]
1 May 2011	Transfer of Heritage from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government[26]
1 May 2011	Transfer of Inland Waterways from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs[27]
1 June 2011	Transfer of Gaeltacht Planning from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs[28]
1 June 2011	Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport[29]
2 June 2011	Renamed as the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht[30]
19 June 2013	Transfer of Censorship of Publications from the Department of Justice and Equality[31]
10 March 2015	Transfer of Censorship of Publications to the Department of Justice and Equality[32]
9 June 2016	Transfer of Rural Affairs from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government[33]
7 July 2016	Renamed as the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs[34]
27 July 2017	Transfer of Rural Affairs to the Department of Rural and Community Development[35]
1 August 2017	Renamed as the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht[36]
9 September 2020	Transfer of Heritage to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government[37]
9 September 2020	Transfer of Inland Waterways to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government[38]
16 September 2020	Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport[39]
22 September 2020	Transfer of Broadcasting from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment[40]
23 September 2020	Transfer of Islands to the Department of Rural and Community Development[41]
30 September 2020	Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media[42]
31 March 2021	Transfer of Heritage Fund from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage[43]
1 June 2025	Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment[44]
1 June 2025	Transfer of Irish Language and the Gaeltacht to the Department of Rural and Community Development[45]
1 June 2025	Transfer of Telecommunications from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications[46]
2 June 2025	Renamed as the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport[47]