The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and the Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue TD, today (7 October) announced details of €1,514,678,000 in funding allocated to the Department in Budget 2026, which will see increases across all areas with a total 9.5% rise across the Department.
Funding for 2026 is increasing for all areas under the Department, while support for agencies in sectors continues to grow. Budget 2026 will enable the continuation of key supports in the Arts and Media sectors, while allowing for the delivery of ambitious projects across Communications, Sports and in our National Cultural Institutions.
The Department’s Sports and Recreation programme aims to promote greater sports participation by all, with particular focus on female participation and diversity, while continuing to invest in new sports facilities, high-performance athletes and the hosting of major events.
- €10.8m in extra current funding for Sport Ireland, including:
- increased core funding for national governing bodies of sport and local sports partnerships by €2m
- and an additional €500k to support Sport Ireland’s work with sports legacy programmes and events.
- Additional funding for Gaelic Games, including:
- enhanced core funding for the GAA of €250k
- just under €750k to grow hurling in non-traditional areas
- an additional €1.6m to support inter-county players
- Extra funding for the IRFU, including:
- enhanced core funding of €250k
- funding of just under €500k to support the building of high-performance pathways for women rugby players
- €3m to the FAI to support League of Ireland football academies
- High Performance funding increased by €1.5m ahead of LA 2028, to meet Programme for Government commitments
- Investment of €500k in a grassroots golf participation programme as part of the legacy programme of major golf events like the Ryder Cup 2027
- National Velodrome and Badminton Centre to commence construction
- Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) annual allocation increased by €18.7m, to support the development of world-class sports facilities nationwide
- Allocation will support expenditure on thousands of existing projects under the Community Sport Facilities Fund, with the intention of announcing the opening of a further round later in 2026
