Building a Shared Island

The Programme for Government and revised National Development Plan (2021-2035) aim to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island, setting out significant commitments and an ambitious agenda for building our shared island. The Government continues to work with the Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government, Local Authorities, education institutions and through island-wide funded schemes to address strategic challenges faced on the island of Ireland.

This is backed by the Shared Island Fund, which the Government has committed to increasing by a further €1 billion up to 2035. The Shared Island Fund is ringfenced funding to enable delivery of all-island investment commitments and objectives.

Most recently, on 25 February 2025, the Government announced funding of over €50 million for a series of new Shared Island projects to be delivered over the next five years. To date, more than €560 million has been specifically allocated from the Shared Island Fund.

The Government will continue to invest at this unprecedented level in the time ahead, demonstrating and harnessing the value of ambitious North/South and East/West cooperation, for the island of Ireland.

In February 2025, the Government announced up to €23 million towards development of a number of sustainable tourism amenities across the border region.

These projects will be progressed by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland in partnership with local authorities north and south of the border and in cooperation with relevant departments and agencies, north and south.

The programme will contribute to all-island cooperation on Tourism through the North South Ministerial Council and build on the success of the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route brand alignment project delivered by Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland supported through the Shared Island Fund.

- Carlingford Lough: Delivering a network of trailheads, trails and water access points across the region, and increasing connectivity between tourism assets, complemented by delivery of a Destination Experience Strategy to promote the region. The investment will harness the benefits of the Narrow Water Bridge as a lynchpin for sustainable tourism and recreation activity around the Carlingford Lough area.

- Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark: Developing the trail network to link existing trails North and South of the border; enhancing and further linking the regional tourism offering at Cuilcagh and the wider cross-border UNESCO Global Geopark. Trail development will provide connectivity between the Marble Arch Caves, Cuilcagh Boardwalk and on to Cavan Burren Park and include interpretation, wayfinding and infrastructure, including a community-based interpretative centre at Glangevlin village.

- Sliabh Beagh: Developing extensive connected walking, cycling, equestrian cross-border trails around Sliabh Beagh Mountain along the border, with the inclusion of trailheads and gateways. Trail development will also include interpretation, wayfinding and other facility development.

- International Marketing and Development Programme: Tourism Ireland will progress a marketing campaign for each Shared Destination, including an industry development programme. This programme will be developed and delivered by 2030, to maximise the economic impact for each region.

In February 2025, the Government announced an allocation of up to €10 million to enable the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), working with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), to develop and take forward a new island-wide nature restoration and biodiversity programme.

- Building on the successful Natura Communities project, delivered in the North West by the NPWS with community and regional partners, the expanded programme will work with local authorities and communities to:

• deliver and foster community-led action on nature restoration of wetlands and other ecosystems including coastal habitats;

• build capacity for long-term wetland management;

• support locally-based training and employment opportunities in nature restoration; and,

• enable community participation, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing.

The programme will also include development of ‘lighthouse’ sites North and South to develop and demonstrate multi-dimensional wetland restoration that delivers social and environmental returns.

The nature restoration programme will build on the Shared Island biodiversity actions on peatland restoration (2023-28) and biosecurity (2023-27) which are being successfully taking forward by the NPWS, working with partners in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

In February 2025, the Government announced an allocation of up to €20 million to support the development and delivery of a series of new Arts and Cultural Heritage projects, to deepen cultural cooperation, exchange and understanding.

- New projects are to be prepared and brought forward, supporting new collaborative cross-border performance, production, and cultural exhibitions, including through:

• National Cultural Institution cooperation;

• Touring and productions across the island of Ireland and internationally;

• Screen sector and cultural asset digitisation cooperation;

• Irish language and Ulster Scots language, culture and heritage.

Programmes will be further developed by relevant Departments in cooperation with Executive and UK Government counterparts.

Further information is available here.

Arts Investment projects:

In September 2023 the Government announced five new All Island Arts Investment projects. €7.4 Million from the Shared Island Fund will support the delivery of these Arts capital investment projects on the island and will be delivered by the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The five Shared Island funded projects are:

• Irish Architectural Archive (IAA) - €100k to provide enhanced digitisation and accessibility for all-island architectural records.

• Irish Film Institute (IFI) - €200k to create and curate an archive of amateur filmmaking in Northern Ireland and the border region. The IFI will work with partners to exhibit films from this archive to audiences online and regionally.

• Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) - €1 million to develop a new studio space and digitisation. The ITMA will develop a new residential studio space and enhance digitisation capacity to promote all-island Artist and Archivist collaborations.

• Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig - up to €1.5 million to create a new visual artist studio. A studio for artists of all forms, alternating between Ireland and Northern Ireland, at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig.

• Bellaghy Bawn writer residencies - up to €4.6 million for development of residencies at the historic Bawn building in Bellaghy creating a cross-border residential facility for writers to work and interact, in an inspirational historic building close to the birthplace and childhood home of Seamus Heaney.

Further information on these projects is available here.

Irish language and Ulster-Scots language culture and heritage:

• €2 million for cross-border Irish language and Ulster-Scots language, culture and heritage projects, including funding for the development of community-run facilities and cross-community cultural events.

Creative Ireland: €6 million for a Shared Island dimension to the Government’s Creative Ireland Programme 2023-2027.

The initiative is deploying creativity on a shared island basis to:

- increase opportunities for cross-community cultural and creative initiatives between children and young people;

- support local authorities to enhance networks of creativity in support of vibrant and inclusive people-to-people and community-to-community partnerships;

- position Ireland as a global leader in demonstrating the value of creativity and mental wellbeing

- deepen collaborations for a more environmentally and socially sustainable island.

Schemes include:

• Creative Youth on a Shared Island scheme funding of more than €1 million was allocated to organisations that have partnered with like-minded organisations North and South on the island of Ireland to bring children and young people together to nurture collaboration, understanding, and hope for the future through active participation in creative projects. Further details of recipients announced here.

• Cruinniú na nÓg (All-Island Day of Creativity for Children and Young People) included events programmed on an all-island basis in 2023 and 2024. Creative Ireland will continue to facilitate this through cross-community events connecting children and young people from both sides of the border. This vibrant programme of live and online events will give everyone the opportunity to let their creativity shine.

• The Creative Communities on a Shared Island funding scheme is for local authority Culture & Creativity Teams to support collaborations utilising cross-border networks in support of cultural and creative people-to-people and community-to-community opportunities. The recipients of the first round of the scheme were announced in October 2023 in which nine new Local Authority-led community arts and creativity projects received €850,000 in total, further details here.

• The Creative Climate Action Fund II: Agents of Change (2023-2025) will support imaginative creative projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural changes. Additional funding has been made available for a number of projects that support Shared Island initiatives. Three all-island projects will be funded under the Shared Island Initiative (Antrim, Down and Fermanagh), with further details available here.

• Creative Health and Wellbeing in the Community Scheme as part of the overall funding scheme, over €260k was awarded to four Local Authority led cross-border arts and health partnerships. Further details on recipients here.

Further information on these programmes is available here.

In February 2025, the Government announced further funding of €6 million towards the second phase of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund. This includes increased resourcing, to support stronger island-wide societal connection, cooperation and mutual understanding.

More information on the Shared Island Civic Society Fund is available here.

In October 2024, the Government launched the second call for research proposals under the North-South Research programme (NSRP).

The North-South Research Programme is a collaborative scheme funded through the Government’s Shared Island Fund and administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The programme prioritises substantial collaborations between North-South research teams and higher education and research institutions, with successful projects given funding of up to €4 million over a four-year period.

For more information on the North-South Research Programme click here.

In July 2024, The Government launched the All Island Strategic Rail Review Report, which was jointly commissioned by the Department of Transport in Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The reports sets out a strategic vision for the development of the rail system across the island of Ireland over the coming decades and sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050, aligning with net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions.

The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, involving additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes.

The Government will continue to work with the Executive in Northern Ireland, the British Government and other partners to co-deliver cross-border investments that enhance our shared island.

In June 2024, the Government officially marked the completion of Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal restoration in Clones, Co. Monaghan.

The canal is now restored between Clonfad and Clones and open for navigation, along with an accompanying major canal basin marina and amenity area in Clones - marking a major milestone for this landmark cross-border restoration project. Work on Phase 3 has began to link Castle Saunderson to Clonfad. This phase comprises restoration of the 10km stretch of canal which will link Phases 1 and 2. Ulster Canal.

Restoration of the canal will provide communities right across the rural border region with a new amenity to enjoy, as well as an important new tourism destination with opportunities for new businesses to open and existing businesses to expand.

In April 2021 & July 2022, the Government announced over €57 million in funding for Phase 2 & 3 of the Ulster Canal.

A further €5 million funding from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund and from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was also secured to progress the project.

In June 2024, the Government announced the commencement of construction of Narrow Water Bridge. An allocation of €102 million + VAT is being made from the Shared Island Fund for the contract to deliver this project.

The bridge is a longstanding commitment of the Government reflected in the Programme for Government and the 2020 New Decade, New Approach Agreement. The bridge will link the Mourne Mountains and Cooley peninsula, providing huge tourism and connectivity boosts in the east border region, and acting as an enabler for improved cross-border active travel and recreation activities including the development of greenways, walking trails and park amenities.

A tender process for the main construction works contract for the project was conducted by Louth County Council in 2023, in accordance with the Public Spending Code, overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Planning permission is in place for a distinctive 280m cable-stayed bridge, anchored by two towers at either end, with segregated car, cycle and pedestrian lanes.

The project is overseen by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, working with Louth County Council and in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

On 6 March 2024, the then Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA., announced the opening of this new funding initiative to support the development of the all-island bioeconomy.

The ‘Shared Island Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative’ will pilot and demonstrate the bioeconomy in action across the island of Ireland, as a key objective of the Bioeconomy Action Plan 2023-2025.

The new funding call is enabled by an allocation of €7 million from the Irish Government’s Shared Island Initiative, with co-funding of €1.5 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, and £0.5 million from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

In February 2024, the Government confirmed a commitment of €600 million towards the A5 North-West transport corridor.

The Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland has confirmed that the A5 scheme has received a final public inquiry report from the Planning Appeals Commission.

Given the significance of the A5 scheme – and of the related Donegal TEN-T and N2 Clontibret upgrades – for the North-West region and for cross-border connectivity on the island; and the scope for the project to proceed in Northern Ireland, the Government has agreed a commitment to the A5 road upgrade project of up to €600m towards its costs along with progressing of planning and design work on the related N2 Clontibret and Donegal TEN-T schemes.

Confirmation of the Government’s funding commitment is intended to support the project in proceeding as soon as possible, alongside confirmation of funding from other sources by the Department of Infrastructure Northern Ireland.

The Government approved a contribution of up to €50 million through the Shared Island Fund to contribute to construction of a redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast as a landmark sports infrastructure project.

The redevelopment project is owned and managed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Ulster Council in cooperation with the Northern Ireland authorities, who are working to bring together an overall funding package to deliver the redeveloped stadium.

The Government’s funding contribution will be agreed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media with the GAA and progressed in cooperation with NI and UK counterparts.

Consistent with the Government’s policy on funding for large scale sports infrastructure, principles for funding of the project will be agreed such that it is accessible to and will benefit a range of sports, is operated to facilitate equality, diversity and inclusion in sport, including supporting cross-community relationships in Northern Ireland and across the island.

The Government has confirmed the introduction of an hourly-frequency rail service between Belfast and Dublin €12.5 million funding allocated from the Shared Island Fund in February 2024, with matched funding from the Department of Transport, provides for the total cost of introducing of an hourly-frequency rail service between Belfast and Dublin over an initial three-year period.

The hourly service significantly enhances sustainable transport connectivity between the two largest cities on the island and will be a catalyst for economic and social connections throughout the Dublin Belfast economic corridor region and across the island.

The enhanced service fulfils the objective under the revised National Development Plan for an hourly rail service between Dublin and Belfast; and, aligns with the provision under the PEACEPLUS programme for investment in new sustainable rolling stock on the Dublin-Belfast line, and with recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.

In February 2024 the Government confirmed €10 million towards a major investment in a renewed visitor experience of the Battle of the Boyne site.

The Government confirmed a major investment in the development of a renewed visitor experience for the Battle of the Boyne site as a priority to raise the heritage and tourism profile of the site which has unique historic and community significance on the island. This funding commitment from the Shared Island Fund was made as part of the overall funding package for the project, once finalised. This work will be taken forward by the Office of Public Works (OPW) based on a Conservation Management Plan for the site and in consultation with communities North and South.

Oldbridge Estate was purchased by the State in 2000, due to its national significance as the site of the historic Battle of the Boyne. Following extensive renovation and development, the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, located in Oldbridge House, opened to the public in summer 2008.

In 2022, an updated Conservation Management Plan was commissioned by OPW, and is now completed. This plan aims to present and sensitively interpret the Battle of the Boyne site. The future development of the site will be guided by the Plan, including:

Ensuring overall conservation and protection of the site;

• Consideration of potential for deepening North-South community interaction and advancing reconciliation.
• Contributing to the tourism and economic agenda for Meath and south Louth.

In 2022, the Estate welcomed close to 500,000 visitors, and the Visitor Centre in the house welcomed some 40,000 visitors to the exhibition. The OPW will lead work to expand the offering for visitors to the Estate even further in the coming years.

The Government allocated €30 million from the Shared Island Fund for a new Shared Island Enterprise Scheme in February 2024.

InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland, in consultation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, are taking forward schemes on promoting women entrepreneurship; cross-border networks and clusters; and sustainability and innovation investment.

Further details on the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme can be found here.

In February 2024 the Government allocated up to €24 million towards a pilot cooperation programme to address educational underachievement.

The Department of Education and Department of Education in Northern Ireland are working to develop and introduce a pilot cooperation programme on educational underachievement.

This pilot cooperation programme will run from 2024 and 2025 to comprise elements on teachers’ research exchange, creativity in schools, and supports to address educational underachievement.

The cooperation programme will be further developed by the Departments of Education in Ireland and Northern Ireland and commence, subject to Ministerial agreement in both Administrations. If agreed, the programme will be continued in 2026 and 2027 with additional resourcing through the Shared Island Fund.

The Government has allocated €1.5 million towards the completion of the Carlingford Greenway.

The allocated funding will enable the completion of an outstanding element of the cross-border Carlingford Greenway, a 1.6km boardwalk structure outside Newry. Funding is also being provided by the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland and other sections of the Greenway are supported under the INTERREG VA programme.

The project is overseen by the Department of Transport, working with Louth County Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

This project aligns with the objective under the National Development Plan to create an island-wide border region greenway network from the Atlantic coast to the Eastern seaboard, and the Department of Transport are actively exploring potential approaches to link existing border-region greenway routes to develop a transformational green infrastructure asset for residents and to grow sustainable tourism.

In February 2024, the Government allocated funding towards key UNESCO world heritage sites under the Shared Island Fund.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (National Monuments Service) is working with the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland (AOI) - a partnership of Dunsink Observatory, the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, and Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation - to support a UNESCO World Heritage status bid as a transboundary property and feasibility work on how to harness the unique, connected scientific and built heritage value of the three sites in the years ahead.

The National Monuments Service is also continuing to support the trans-boundary World Heritage Property bid of The Royal Sites of Ireland (including Eamhain Macha/Navan Fort in Armagh) which was included on Ireland’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2021.

On 10 June 2023, the Government committed up to €44.5m from the Shared Island Fund to construction of a new teaching and student services building at Ulster University’s campus in Derry. This implements the Government’s commitment under the New Decade, New Approach agreement to capital investment in the campus to expand higher education provision in the North West region.

The teaching building is part of Ulster University’s development plan to provide a campus that will increase student numbers in Derry. It will provide additional lecture and seminar spaces, computer labs and on-campus student services. The project has a strong cross-border dimension, directly supporting the significant and expanding joint undergraduate and postgraduate course provision and research collaboration by Atlantic Technological University (Donegal) and Ulster University.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and their Department will progress the Government’s funding contribution working with Ulster University and in continuing consultation with the Department for Economy in Northern Ireland.

For more information, see the Ulster University webpage here.

The Government has allocated €2.5m from the Shared Island Fund to the cost for construction of a purpose-built respite and therapeutic centre for children diagnosed with cancer and their families, from across the island of Ireland.

The Minister for Health and his Department are bringing together an overall funding package, which will be announced with further information on the project. The project is aligned with the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 and will complement and add to existing North/South cooperation on cancer care.

In February 2023, the Government announced funding of €27 million to the Community Climate Action Programme, which supports projects and initiatives that facilitate community climate action through education, capacity building and learning by doing.

The Shared Island strand (strand 1a) of the Community Climate Action Programme opened in December 2023 with €3m in funding available to support cross-border and all-island climate action initiatives by communities and local authorities to help reach common climate and energy targets, North and South.

Strand 1a projects are community-led climate action initiatives with a partner in Northern Ireland, and a minimum of 50% of awarded funding is for project delivery in Northern Ireland. Over 40 successful strand 1a projects are now moving to delivery, addressing the following themes: community energy, travel, food and waste, shopping and recycling, and local climate and environmental action.

Further information can be found on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website or by contacting the community climate action officer in the relevant local authority in Ireland.

In January 2023, the Government announced an investment of €15 Million to the Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Scheme.

This scheme will support the roll-out of publicly accessible, fast-charging for sports clubs and communities across the island of Ireland, in line with the recently launched National EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy.

In September 2024, the Department of Transport announced the list of over 220 sports clubs across the island of Ireland which are eligible to apply for funding for electric vehicle charge points under the Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Scheme.

For more information, please see here.

In December 2022, then Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, UK Minister for Science and Investment Security, Nusrat Ghani MP and Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots MLA announced over €74 million in investment to create new collaborative research co-centres across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Following a competitive funding call administered by Science Foundation Ireland, two research centres have been launched and are in operation.

The Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water was launched in TCD on 8 May 2024. The Co-Centre is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, and University of Reading, UK.

The Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems was launched in UCD on 29 May 2024. The Co-Centre is jointly managed by UCD, Queen’s University Belfast and University of Sheffield.

In December 2022 the Government announced €15 million towards a new cross-border collaboration in peatlands restoration and funding will be used to build capacity at local and national levels through upskilling, training and education schemes and restoration work.

Sites in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland were selected to deliver practical peatland restoration, build capacity for long-term peatland management, undertake research and monitoring, exchange knowledge, and address socio-cultural issues across a range of restoration scenarios. These include the restoration of private and public lands, demonstration of restoration of erosion impacts, reactivation of drained peatlands, forest to bog restoration, control of alien invasives, addressing grazing pressures, improving community engagement and increasing education and awareness.

More information on this investment can be found here.

In December 2022, the Government announced an investment of €1 million on a new all-island invasive species and biosecurity partnership, to protect the island of Ireland’s unique ecological resources. This will include strategic all-island risk assessment and trend analysis on invasive species; biosecurity strategy; alignment of current and future pathway actions and contingency plan; and a citizen science invasive species programme.

In December 2022, the Government announced an investment of €7.6 million, towards a new all-island tourism brand collaboration and marketing initiative to be administered by the Tourism agencies on a cross-border basis. The vision of the proposal is to connect the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way in the North West.

As part of the Shared Island Tourism Brand Collaboration Project, the Shared Island Coast-to-Coast Capital Investment Scheme 2024 was launched which aims enhance visitor experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route. Further details on the call here.

Further information on these projects is available here.

In September 2022, the Government announced the Shared Island Local Authority Development funding scheme, which is administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, supported a number of feasibility assessments by Local Authorities, on potential cross-border projects.

The scheme, funded through the Shared Island Fund, supports Local Authorities North and South in progressing feasibility and development work on new joint investment projects which can deliver on shared local and regional development goals.

The successful projects are spread across a range of sectors including biodiversity, tourism, decarbonisation, the circular economy, rural and urban regeneration, education, business innovation; and cultural and creative industries. Further details on the recipients here.