The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote and develop Ireland's tourism, culture, and art; and to advance the use of the Irish language, including the development of the Gaeltacht. It is led by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are on Kildare Street, Dublin. The department also has offices in South Frederick Street in Dublin, Na Forbacha in Galway and in New Road, Killarney, County Kerry. The departmental team consists of the following:

Overview

In carrying out its mandate the department undertakes a variety of functions including: The department is responsible for funding national cultural institutions such as: and organisations such as:

History

The department was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1977 as the Department of Economic Planning and Development, an act of the 15th Government of Ireland led by Jack Lynch. This act provided its function as: "(a) to promote and coordinate economic and social planning for the development of the economy both generally and as respects different sectors thereof and different regions of the country, (b) to identify the policies it considers necessary for general economic and social development and to report thereon to the Government, (c) to identify in consultation with Departments of State and to review and appraise the plans and activities of such Departments giving effect to the policies for general economic and social development adopted by the Government, (d) to make proposals to the Government for the coordination of the plans and activities referred to in paragraph (c) of this subsection and for their integration with national economic and social plans and (e) to review the implementation of such national economic and social plans as may be approved by the Government from time to time and to report thereon to the Government." Over the years the name and functions of the department have changed several times.