Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs

The Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (Irish: An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta) was a department of the Government of Ireland from 1956 to 2011. The head of the department was a Minister of the Government.

Overview

In 2011, the department had specific responsibility for a range of functions including:

• Community Development Programmes
• Local Development
• the RAPID programmes
• Coordination of the National Drugs Strategy
• North/South co-operation
• Volunteering
• Rural Development initiatives
• progress towards the elimination of discrimination; the promotion of equal opportunities and the accommodation of diversity
• the Irish language
• the Gaeltacht
• the development of Ireland's inhabited off-shore islands.
• Implementation of policy in relation to equal treatment, anti-racism, disability equality and human rights

History

The department was created in 1956 as the Department of the Gaeltacht.

Its name changed several times, with some changes in its role. The department was known as the following:

• Department of the Gaeltacht (1956–1993)
• Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (1993–1997)
• Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (1997–2002)
• Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (2002–2010)
• Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (2010–2011)

In 2011, it was abolished^[1] with its sections being transferred to other government departments as below:

Function	New Department
Community and Rural Development (including PEACE and INTERREG, Dormant Accounts and the Western Development Commission)	Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Coordination of the National Drug Strategy	Department of Health
The Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands	Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
The National Famine Commemoration
Waterways Ireland
Marine Tourism	Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Equality, Human Rights, Integration and Disability	Department of Justice and Equality
Charities Regulation
Social Inclusion	Department of Social Protection
Family Policy	Department of Children and Youth Affairs

List of office-holders

No.	Name	Term of office		Party
1.	Richard Mulcahy	2 June 1956	24 October 1956		Fine Gael
2.	Patrick Lindsay	24 October 1956	20 March 1957		Fine Gael
3.	Jack Lynch	20 March 1957	26 June 1957		Fianna Fáil
4.	Micheál Ó Móráin (1st time)	26 June 1957	23 July 1959		Fianna Fáil
5.	Gerald Bartley	23 July 1959	11 October 1961		Fianna Fáil
	Micheál Ó Móráin (2nd time)	11 October 1961	26 March 1968		Fianna Fáil
6.	Pádraig Faulkner	27 March 1968	2 July 1969		Fianna Fáil
7.	George Colley	2 July 1969	14 March 1973		Fianna Fáil
8.	Tom O'Donnell	14 March 1973	5 July 1977		Fine Gael
9.	Denis Gallagher (1st time)	5 July 1977	11 December 1979		Fianna Fáil
10.	Máire Geoghegan-Quinn	12 December 1979	30 June 1981		Fianna Fáil
11.	Paddy O'Toole (1st time)	30 June 1981	9 March 1982		Fine Gael
12.	Pádraig Flynn	9 March 1982	27 October 1982		Fianna Fáil
	Denis Gallagher (2nd time)	27 October 1982	14 December 1982		Fianna Fáil
.	Paddy O'Toole (2nd time)	14 December 1982	10 March 1987		Fine Gael
13.	Charles Haughey	10 March 1987	11 February 1992		Fianna Fáil
14.	John Wilson	11 February 1992	12 January 1993		Fianna Fáil
15.	Michael D. Higgins (1st time)	12 January 1993	21 January 1993		Labour Party
No.	Name	Term of office		Party
	Michael D. Higgins (1st time)	21 January 1993	17 November 1994		Labour Party
16.	Bertie Ahern	18 November 1994	15 December 1994		Fianna Fáil
	Michael D. Higgins (2nd time)	15 December 1994	26 June 1997		Labour Party
17.	Síle de Valera	26 June 1997	12 July 1997		Fianna Fáil
No.	Name	Term of office		Party
	Síle de Valera	12 July 1997	6 June 2002		Fianna Fáil
No.	Name	Term of office		Party
18.	Éamon Ó Cuív	6 June 2002	23 March 2010		Fianna Fáil
No.	Name	Term of office		Party
19.	Pat Carey	23 March 2010	9 March 2011		Fianna Fáil

See also

• Irish cabinets since 1919

References

1. Legally it was not abolished but renamed as the Department of Children and Youth Affairs with its existing functions transferred to different departments. "S.I. No. 214/2011 — Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.