Irish government to invest €2m funding

The Irish government is investing €2m (£1.76m) to get flights from Dublin to Londonderry up and running next year.

It announced over €50m (£44m) worth of funding for projects as part of the Shared Island initiative.

The initiative, headed by Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin, aims to strengthen economies on both sides of the border.

The Irish government has now doubled its spending commitment through the fund, allocating it €2bn (£1.76bn) until 2035.

The flight route will start next year for a defined period and be reviewed after two years.

It will initially be resourced through the Shared Island Fund as a “public service obligation” air service.

The Irish government hopes the air service will improve connectivity to the north west of the island while the A5 corridor is being worked on.

The government is also investing €5.9m (£5.2m) into developing cross-border emergency services, focused on flooding and technical rescue operations.

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) will “strengthen their co-operation” with investment from the fund.

This will see expanded training facilities, investing in rescue training equipment and more resources put into flood containment.

Joint training by fire and emergency services will also take place on both sides of the border.

Some €14.5m (£12.8m) will be allocated for arts projects from 2026 and 2028.

This includes the Irish Department of Culture, Communications and Sport carrying out an assessment of a proposed capital funding contribution towards the building of Newry Theatre.

Tuesday’s announcement also features a €6.4m (£5.64m) investment for a cross-border pilot regional cooperation programme on tackling Bovine TB.

This project will be undertaken by the Irish Agriculture Minister and his Northern Ireland counterpart to tackle bovine TB and see implementation of measures on a coordinated regional basis until the end of the decade.

“This is the Shared Island Initiative in action – working with ambition to establish greater connectivity, deepen co-operation and strengthen island-wide community understanding – to create a shared future together,” said Martin.

“Those communities will bring a unique and an important perspective to the exploration of our shared island of the past, present and future, shaped by their own immigrant experiences,” said Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris.