The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) 2026/2027 has been launched, details and deadlines for the scheme are below and in the attached document.

Application forms will be available in due course.

If you are aware of any projects being considered by community groups in your area, I would be obliged if you would ask the group to firstly liaise with the Municipal Area Engineer to discuss the project with them, and secondly to contact Siobhán Cleary [email protected] or Trevor Coleman [email protected]  in the Rural and Community Development Section to discuss the project, prior to commencing any application.

Please note the following:

• Projects must be ‘shovel ready’ with documented Planning Permission and Environmental Screenings in place. 

• All landowner consents must be in place.  

• Please see below list of ineligible activities under the scheme.

Measure 1 – To be submitted to Galway County Council no later than 20^th August 2026  

• Small scale repair/development/promotion and marketing.
• Funding of up to €40,000 at a 90% rate of aid.
• Maximum of *6 applications can be submitted by each local authority.
• Maximum of 3 applications can be submitted by each local development company.

*Where a local authority has a Gaeltacht area and/or inhabited coastal Islands, they will be permitted to submit one additional measure 1 application up to the value of €40,000, this must be clearly marked as Gaeltacht or Island.

Measure 2 – To be submitted to Galway County Council no later than 10^th November 2026:

• Medium scale repair/upgrade and new trail/amenity development.
• Funding of up to €200,000 at a 90% rate of aid.
• Maximum of 3 applications can be submitted by each local authority.
• Maximum of 1 application may be submitted per local development company and state body.

Measure 3 – To be submitted to Galway County Council no later than 10^th November 2026:  

• Large scale repair/upgrade and new strategic trail/amenity development
• Funding of up to €500,000 at a 90% rate of aid
• Local authorities and state bodies can submit 1 application each under this Measure.

Project Development Measure – To be submitted to Galway County Council no later than 20^th August 2026:  

• Detailed development of projects which would enable them to reach a standard for application under Measure 2 or Measure 3 of ORIS.
• Local authorities can each submit up to four prioritised applications with a combined value of €100,000 under this Measure. If sufficient demand and interest exist, they can submit one additional application for equestrian trails/bridleways up to €50,000. Local authorities with a Gaeltacht and/or inhabited offshore Islands may submit one additional application under this Measure up to €50,000.
• Local development companies can each submit up to three prioritised applications with a combined value of €70,000.
• State bodies may submit one application up to €50,000.

Application deadlines

Ineligible Projects/Costs

The following types of projects and activities, in particular, will not be supported by the scheme:

• Greenways in excess of 20km
• Infrastructure for commercial activities
• Purchase/lease of land
• Legal fees
• Standalone outdoor gym/calisthenics workout area projects
• Sculptures
• Motorised vehicles
• Sports grounds, traditional playgrounds and Multi-Use Gaming Areas (MUGAs)
• Works within Town Parks, marked street trails, walkways and cycleways within towns and villages except as outlined in Project Location (refer to ORIS 2026/2027 Scheme Outline)
• Any surfacing works to public roads regardless of whether they form part of an existing trail. The level of finish for any works on trails on non-public roads must be commensurate with the needs of walking trails and not the needs of vehicular traffic i.e. the scheme is not designed for tarring roads
• Refurbishment and construction of buildings² (refer to ORIS 2026/2027 Scheme Outline regarding funding for toilets, and in very exceptional, and limited circumstances for projects where this would substantially improve access to, and the organization of, recreational resources by the wider public)
• Walking or running tracks located in a confined space, e.g. around sports pitches or playgrounds, or within other sports grounds
• Works covered under the agreed work plans of the Walks Scheme
• Activities which do not comply with the definition of countryside/outdoor recreation as set out above and as defined in Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors
• Capacity building or training
• Ongoing operational costs
• Costs not directly related to the project
• Indirect costs of the project e.g. community organization staff time spent working on the project in an administrative capacity
• Organisation core costs, including overheads
• Retrospective costs – activity that has already been undertaken or costs incurred prior to date of project approval
• VAT where applicants are registered for VAT
• Charges such as bank interest costs, fines, financial penalties, and legal dispute costs
• Sponsorship and charitable donations
• Depreciation
• Notional costs e.g. lost opportunity

It should be noted that private commercial entities or bodies trading for profit are not eligible for funds under the scheme.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]

ORIS_Scheme_Outline_2026_2027

ORIS Scheme 2026.2027 – Dates & Advisory Notice