Department of Rural and Community Development

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Irish: An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe, Pobail agus Gaeltachta) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht

Department overview
Formed	19 July 2017
Jurisdiction	Government of Ireland
Headquarters	Leinster Street South, Dublin
Minister responsible	Dara Calleary, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
Department executive	Mary Hurley, Secretary General
Website	Official website

Departmental team

The headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are on Leinster Street South, Dublin. The departmental team consists of the following:

• Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht: Dara Calleary, TD
  • Minister of State for community development, charities, Gaeltacht and the islands: Jerry Buttimer, TD
• Secretary General of the Department: Mary Hurley^[1]

Agencies

Agencies and bodies under the department:

• Western Development Commission
• POBAL
• Water Safety Ireland
• Charities Regulator

Schemes

Rural: Town and Village Renewal scheme, Rural Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Rural Walks Scheme, Rural Development Fund, CLÁR, LEADER programme, Tidy Towns competition, Dormant Accounts Fund (also supporting disadvantaged urban communities).

Community: Social Inclusion and Community Programme, Community Facilities Scheme, Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development (RAPID) Programme, Libraries Investment Programme, Seniors Alert Scheme, Community and Voluntary Supports Programme, National Organisations Supports Programme, PEACE Programme.

History

The Department of Rural and Community Development was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2017 as part of the reorganisation of governmental departments in the government of Leo Varadkar. The divisions had previously existed within the same department between 2002 and 2010 in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Transfer of functions

Date	Change
19 July 2017	Establishment of the Department of Rural and Community Development[2]
26 July 2017	Transfer of Charities from the Department of Justice and Equality[3]
27 July 2017	Transfer of Rural Affairs from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs[4]
27 July 2017	Transfer of Community Development from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government[5]
1 January 2018	Transfer of Community Services Programme from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection[6]
1 June 2018	Transfer of Water Safety from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government[7]
23 September 2020	Transfer of Islands from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht[8]
1 June 2025	Transfer of Irish Language and the Gaeltacht from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media[9]
2 June 2025	Renamed as the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht[10]