The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport () is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.
Departmental team The headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are on Leeson Lane, Dublin. The department also has offices on New Road, Killarney, County Kerry. The departmental team consists of the following: Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport: Patrick O'Donovan, TD Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport with special responsibility for sport and postal policy: Charlie McConalogue, TD Secretary General of the Department: Feargal Ó Coigligh
Divisions The department has the following divisions: Sports Culture Corporate Affairs Media and Broadcasting Communications
Aegis bodies The following state bodies and agencies are under the aegis of the department:
Arts and culture Arts Council of Ireland (which acts as the Cultural Contact Point to access EU cultural programme funding) Chester Beatty Library Crawford Art Gallery Irish Museum of Modern Art Irish Manuscripts Commission National Archives of Ireland National Concert Hall National Gallery of Ireland National Library of Ireland National Museum of Ireland Screen Ireland
Sport Sport Ireland
Media Coimisiún na Meán RTÉ TG4
Communication An Post Commission for Communications Regulation Digital Hub Development Agency Irish Film Classification Office
History The department was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1977 as the Department of Economic Planning and Development, an act of the 15th government of Ireland led by Jack Lynch. This act provided its function as:
Over the years the name and functions of the department have changed several times.
DateChange13 December 1977Establishment of the Department of Economic Planning and Development1 January 1980Transfer of Economic Planning to the Department of Finance21 January 1980Renamed as the Department of Energy22 January 1980Transfer of Energy from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy20 August 1981Transfer of Industry from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism21 August 1981Renamed as the Department of Industry and Energy16 December 1983Transfer of Industry to the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism17 December 1983Renamed as the Department of Energy20 January 1993Transfer of Forestry to the Department of Agriculture and Food20 January 1993Transfer of Trade from the Department of Industry and Commerce20 January 1993Transfer of Tourism from the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications20 January 1993Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Trade21 January 1993Transfer of Energy to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications11 July 1997Transfer of Trade to the Department of Enterprise and Employment12 July 1997Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation18 June 2002Transfer of Horse and Greyhound Racing from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development18 June 2002Transfer of Arts and Culture from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands19 June 2002Renamed as the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism25 June 2002Transfer of the Genealogical Office from the Department of Education and Science10 July 2002Transfer of National Monuments from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs1 May 2010Transfer of Horse and Greyhound Racing to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food2 May 2010Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport1 April 2011Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Transport1 May 2011Transfer of Irish Language, and the Islands from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs1 May 2011Transfer of Heritage from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government1 May 2011Transfer of Inland Waterways from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs1 June 2011Transfer of Gaeltacht Planning from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs1 June 2011Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport2 June 2011Renamed as the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht19 June 2013Transfer of Censorship of Publications from the Department of Justice and Equality10 March 2015Transfer of Censorship of Publications to the Department of Justice and Equality9 June 2016Transfer of Rural Affairs from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government7 July 2016Renamed as the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs27 July 2017Transfer of Rural Affairs to the Department of Rural and Community Development1 August 2017Renamed as the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht9 September 2020Transfer of Heritage to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government9 September 2020Transfer of Inland Waterways to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government16 September 2020Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport22 September 2020Transfer of Broadcasting from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment23 September 2020Transfer of Islands to the Department of Rural and Community Development30 September 2020Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media31 March 2021Transfer of Heritage Fund from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage1 June 2025Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment1 June 2025Transfer of Irish Language and the Gaeltacht to the Department of Rural and Community Development1 June 2025Transfer of Telecommunications from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications2 June 2025Renamed as the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport1 August 2025Transfer of Censorship of films and publications from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
References
External links
Structure of the Department