Department of 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

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Irish: An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus 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.

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]

References

^ "Gov.ie – Department of Rural and Community Development". gov.ie. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
^ Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2017 (No. 18 of 2017). Enacted on 19 July 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 13 September 2019.
^ Charities (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 348 of 2017). Signed on 26 July 2017. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 18 July 2020.
^ Rural Affairs (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 354 of 2017). Signed on 26 July 2017. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 13 September 2019.
^ Community Development (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 357 of 2017). Signed on 26 July 2017. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 13 September 2019.
^ Community Services Programme (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 578 of 2017). Signed on 12 December 2017. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 21 September 2020.
^ Community Development (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2018 (S.I. No. 165 of 2018). Signed on 15 May 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 September 2020.
^ Islands (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 379 of 2020). Signed on 22 September 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 9 October 2020.
^ Irish Language and the Gaeltacht (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 175 of 2025). Signed on 6 May 2025. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 12 May 2025.
^ Rural and Community Development (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 173 of 2025). Signed on 6 May 2025. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 12 May 2025.