More than €17 million announced to improve road access to homes in rural areas

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD (Fianna Fáil), has announced the opening of the 2026 Local Improvement Scheme (LIS).

This scheme will provide €17.55 million for repairs and improvement works on non-public rural roads and laneways.

Speaking as he announced the allocations today, Minister Calleary said: “This scheme will improve hundreds of rural roads and laneways across the country and is a vital source of funding for non-public roads not normally maintained by local authorities.

“As part of this, I have been able to allocate €1.2million to Mayo County Council, including €50,000 ringfenced for the Islands. The LIS Scheme is a vital resource for rural Ireland, particularly for farmers and landowner on non-public roads. It is the responsibility of the local authority in discussion with land and property owners to identify and prioritise roads for inclusion on the scheme with each local councillor receiving an allocation. The investment demonstrates my commitment to vital road infrastructure in rural Ireland, providing access to people’s farms and homes."

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This announcement brings to a total of over €201 million that has been allocated to local authorities under the Scheme since it was re-introduced in 2017.

The allocation of funds is for works to be carried out in 2026 on roads not normally maintained by the local authorities.

Minister Alan Dillon TD (Fine Gael) commented, that "this investment will make a real difference to families, farmers, and rural communities who rely on these roads every day. The inclusion of €50,000 specifically for island roads is particularly important, ensuring that our offshore communities are not left behind and can benefit from improved connectivity and safer access routes."

Dillon claimed that this funding gives Mayo County Council the certainty it needs to progress priority LIS projects this year, improving quality of life and supporting rural living across the county.