Ministers O’Donovan and McConalogue announce details of Budget 2026 for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
- Published on: 7 October 2025
- Last updated on: 7 October 2025
- Year-on-year budget increase of €131m
- Increase in Capital Expenditure of €81m and an additional €50m in Current Expenditure
- Provision for a permanent successor scheme to the Basic Income for the Arts pilot, subject to Government approval, opening for applications in the first half of 2026
- Significant works on National Archives and Crawford Gallery
- Adjustment to Section 481 for VFX
- €3m to the FAI to support League of Ireland Academies
- TG4 funding increased to over €65m with provision for new digital news service
- A record capital allocation of €433m to support the completion of the National Broadband Plan deployment
- Enhanced funding to the Post Office Network of €15m per annum, subject to Government approval
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 supports for agencies in sectors continue 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.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:
My Department oversees sectors that have seen massive growth in recent years, and that brings its own challenges. My priority as Minister is to ensure that the Arts and Culture, Communications, Media and Broadcasting, and Sports and Recreation sectors are resilient, sustainable, forward reaching and accessible. To do this, we need to build capacity in all areas under my remit.
Budget 2026 will maintain and increase funding across a wide range of key initiatives. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme, which I extended this year, will end in 2026, and I will bring a successor scheme to Government with the intention of embedding a permanent basic income in the Arts and Culture sector. This scheme is the envy of the world, and a tremendous achievement for Ireland, and must be made futureproof and sustainable.
Support continues for the Arts Council, Culture Ireland and Creative Ireland. Screen Ireland’s funding has been increased, to support their work in making Ireland a competitive destination for screen industry production. We also welcome the new measures announced by Minister Donohoe enhancing relief under Section 481 for eligible projects in the visual effects industry.
As part of our commitment to supporting Irish content, TG4’s total funding has been increased to over €65 million to ensure the continued provision of high-quality Irish language programmes, including a new digital news service. As was previously announced, combined public funding of €240 million will be provided to RTÉ in 2026 to continue with its new strategy and serve Irish audiences with impartial news and current affairs, and high-quality content across all genres.
Public interest journalism will be further strengthened by an additional €4.4m in Exchequer funding for media funding schemes administered by Coimisiún na Meán and €1.1 million is being provided to support research, fact-checking and media literacy to support implementation of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy.
The Programme for Government sets out an ambitious objective to complete the National Broadband Plan rollout by the end of 2026. This is one of the most successful and impactful infrastructure projects in the history of the State, and deployment is ahead of the original schedule.
The NBP is now nearing completion, and I am glad to announce a record allocation of €433 million for this ambitious, life-changing public programme which will allow the network deployment to be finalised next year, ensuring that the benefits of the digital transition are delivered right across the country – for every home, farm and business.
With these measures, and others I will announce today, we continue to strengthen and support our culture, how we communicate, and what we do for enjoyment in 2026 and beyond.
Minister Charlie McConalogue said:
Sport is the heartbeat of so many of our communities, and this Government is committed to growing sport at all levels. From grassroots participation to elite and high-performance athletes, we are dedicated to improving Ireland’s standing as a sporting nation.
Sport is the heartbeat of so many of our communities, and this Government is committed to growing sport at all levels. From grassroots participation to elite and high-performance athletes, we are dedicated to improving Ireland’s standing as a sporting nation.
The countdown to Ireland hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup and Euro 2028 is firmly on, and we will continue to invest in these and other Major Sports Events in 2026. Ensuring that these events leave a lasting legacy for communities, drive economic growth, and impact positively on sports participation, will continue to be a priority.
In the lead-up to the Olympic Games in LA in 2028, the Government is committed to reach €30 million per annum in High Performance funding before the 2028 LA Olympics. With an increase of €1.5 million, bringing the total funding to €28.5 million, we are ahead of schedule on this goal.
We have also made provision for another round of funding under the Community Sport Facilities Fund, as well as an increase in support for the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund, recognising the roll out of projects already announced. We will continue to develop our National Sports Campus, with work due to commence shortly on the new National Velodrome and Badminton Centre. This Government is committed to the success of Irish sport; from record investment in our sport facilities, to supporting the ambition of our high-performance athletes like never before and fundamentally, to ensuring everyone, at every level, enjoys the right to participate in sport and physical activity.
I can also confirm that the Department’s capital provision provides for an enhanced level of support to the Post Office Network of €15 million per annum, recognising its status as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. This will require proposals to be brought to Government which will be done to ensure that enhanced support will be made available in 2026. This will continue to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities.
Key highlights of Budget 2026
Arts and Culture
The Department’s Arts and Culture programme aims to support and develop engagement with, and in arts, culture and creativity by individuals and communities thereby enriching lives through cultural and creative activity; to promote Ireland's arts, culture and creativity globally; and to drive a more vibrant and diverse Night-Time Economy.
- Provision made, subject to Government approval, for a successor scheme to the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot, which will finish in February 2026. The research proves that the BIA successfully sustains artists careers and reduces the income precarity which is a feature of a career in the arts.
- Completion of the repository project in the National Archives in 2026
- Commencement of the major redevelopment of the Crawford Art Gallery
- Commence redeveloping the National Concert Hall with the Discover Centre project (a music learning and engagement centre) in the old Pathology block
- A new €6m capital works scheme will be developed to fund arts capital projects in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, providing support for communities across the country
- Screen Ireland 2026 allocation increased by €2.1m to develop new strategies to grow the gaming and special effects sectors in Ireland and for increased support to the indigenous and incoming screen industry
- An additional allocation of €600,000 to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann who celebrate their 75th Anniversary in 2026
- €1m in funding, double the 2025 allocation, for the 2026 round of the Grassroots Music Venue Support scheme to support independent music venues and artists across the country.
- Culture Ireland 2026 allocation increased by €800k, to help develop and sustain Irish artists’ international careers
Communications
The aim of the Department’s Communications programme is to deliver world class connectivity and communications, ensuring an agile, responsive and resilient digital infrastructure is in place and supporting the transformation of the digital economy for the benefit of every citizen, business, and community in Ireland.
- Communications programme funding increased by €40.945m
- Additional funding of €33m to support the continued rollout of the National Broadband Plan
- Enhanced funding to the Post Office Network of €15m per annum, subject to Government approval
- €3.5m to extend the National Digital Research Centre contract until the end of 2026 in support of the rollout of Enterprise Ireland’s successor programme
Sport
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
Media and Broadcasting
The Department aims to promote a sustainable and diverse Media and Broadcasting sector, and to progress online safety through an effective regulatory system and continued support for Coimisiún na Meán.
- Increase of €5.376m for TG4, bringing total public funding in 2026 to €65.376m, which will enable the development of a digital news service by TG4.
- Public funding to RTÉ to increase to €240m, comprising licence fee and Exchequer funding, in line with agreed levels.
- €1.1m in Exchequer funding for implementation of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy to support research on disinformation and appropriate countermeasures, the development of fact-checking expertise and help expand the provision of media literacy skills to all age groups.
- Additional €4.4m in Exchequer funding to support public service content and public interest journalism through Coimisiún na Meán, bringing total support for media funding schemes to €34.4m. The additional funding comprises:
- €1m for a new Community Media Scheme
- €1.4m additional Exchequer funding for the Sound and Vision Scheme (bringing total funding for the Scheme in 2026 to €15.4m)
- €1m in additional funding for the News Reporting Scheme (bringing the total allocation in 2026 to €5m, €3m of which is ring-fenced for the commercial radio sector)
- €1m in additional funding for the Digital Transformation Scheme (bringing total funding for the Scheme to €4m in 2026)
- continuing the €3m allocated to support news and current affairs provision on commercial television
- maintenance of the €6m allocation for the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes
ENDS