Roads: 'I could do €1.2bn worth, and I still wouldn't have enough money'

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, has defended his department’s investment in rural road infrastructure, insisting that demand for funding already far outstrips the resources available.

Minister Calleary had just travelled from right across Cavan, from Kingscourt to Ballyjamesduff, Killeshandra, back to Cavan Town, and then onto Ballyconnell, where local councillors asked for his department to contribute directly to road repair budgets alongside the Department of Transport.

“I’m not saying that smartly or cheekily. That’s just the reality,” the minister said when describing the scale of requests coming into his department. “I could do €1.2 billion worth, and I still wouldn't have enough money.”

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht currently funds Local Improvement Schemes (LIS), which focus on upgrading non-public rural roads and laneways that provide access to homes, farms and businesses.

Since 2017, Cavan County Council has received more than €8M through the scheme; while Monaghan County Council has secured over €6.9M.

Funding allocations to both counties increased again under the 2026 programme announced last month, with Cavan awarded €527,400 and Monaghan €385,880 from a national €17.55M pot.

However, Minister Calleary dismissed suggestions that his department’s budget could be diverted towards regional roads.

“That’s not going to happen,” he said bluntly. “Darragh O’Brien and the Department for Transport have a record for that, and this year that money - a lot of it - is going into regional roads, different programmes.”

While acknowledging the need for greater rural road investment, Minister Calleary maintained that he is satisfied with the role his department currently plays through the LIS programme.

“I’d like to personally see more investment in rural roads,” he admitted, but added that he is “comfortable” with where his department stands regarding its remit.

The minister also revealed that work is nearing completion on a renewed rural development strategy, which he said will shape policy over the next five years.

“We’re finalising Our Rural Future, which is going to be our scaffolding document for the next five years,” he explained. “Transport generally, for transport waiting counties, for all services including Local Link, that’s going to be a major pillar of it.”