From:Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Wednesday, 17 June 2026) visited Coleraine Street to officially open the newly refurbished Inner-City Enterprise Centre in Dublin 7.

The Inner-City Enterprise Centre was awarded funding under the Community Recognition Fund 2024. The Fund was introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. To date, €100 million has been allocated to support cities, towns, and villages across the country with Dublin City Council having been allocated over €4.5 million towards 52 projects under the Fund.

This project received €486,200 to fund refurbishment and improvement works to a once derelict former housing depot in Dublin 7, providing a space where ideas can flourish, where collaboration can thrive and where people from all backgrounds and ages can come together to share experiences and build meaningful connections.

Also, the Hub on the Hill, home of Inner-City Enterprise Centre, is onboarded to the Connectedhubs.ie online platform which provides hub owners and customers with a central, easy to use portal that offers and enables the booking and payment for a range of services, particularly professional remote working spaces and meeting rooms. The platform is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and managed by the Western Development Commission.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Calleary said:

“I am delighted to see the extensive work that has been completed through the Community Recognition Fund, creating a fully accessible, modern and welcoming space that can be used for training programmes, community activities, social events and a wide range of local initiatives.

“This project demonstrates how investment in local infrastructure can revitalise neglected spaces and turn them into valuable community assets.”

The Community Recognition Fund has provided some €100 million to support a range of projects in villages, towns and cities which have welcomed new arrivals.

Projects supported through the fund include the refurbishment of community facilities, like this Inner-City Enterprise Centre, in addition to children’s play spaces and sensory spaces, the provision of and enhancement of recreational trails and sports facilities, and transport supports for communities across the country.

Over 1,000 projects approved under the fund have now been completed and communities nationwide are enjoying the benefits that this funding has delivered. Significant progress is being made on the remaining projects, the majority of which will be completed this year.

“Through programmes like The Community Recognition Fund, my Department continues to deliver meaningful change in our cities, towns and villages.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in bringing this project to fruition. Your vision, commitment and hard work have created a facility that will serve the community for many years to come.”

The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. €100 million was allocated to support cities, towns, and villages across the country.

Under the 2023 iteration of the scheme, Dublin City Council were allocated over €2.3 million towards 30 projects. Under the 2024 iteration of the scheme, Dublin City County Council were again allocated over €2.1 million towards a further 22 projects.

To date, Dublin City Council have drawn down over €2.2 million under the Community Recognition Fund, with 30 projects now fully complete and drawn down.

One of the commitments provided in Our Rural Future was to establish a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 Remote Working Hubs over the lifetime of the policy.

Hub on the Hill is one of over 400 Remote Working Hubs currently live on the platform.

Hub on the Hill was onboarded onto the Connected Hubs platform on the 10th October 2025.

Connected Hubs (www.connectedhubs.ie) is a shared online booking platform for remote working hubs and their users, which was launched in May 2021. The online platform provides hub owners and customers with a central, easy to use portal that offers and enables the booking and payment for a range of services, particularly professional remote working spaces and meeting rooms.

The platform provides visibility for each hub to promote its services and facilities on a national platform and presents a common location where users can identify where remote working hubs are located and what facilities are available. The platform is funded by DRCDG and managed by the Western Development Commission (WDC).

The key objective of the National Hub Network is to provide a shared infrastructure that will deliver real benefits, particularly for rural communities.

Ultimately the aim is for connectedhubs.ie to link over 400 hubs nationally, giving people the option to work within their own communities – regardless of where their employer is headquartered.

A new National Hubs Strategy is currently being finalised.

It will present a coherent approach to the future development of remote working and enterprise hubs.

There are three core pillars to the Strategy:

This strategy is being developed in partnership with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Western Development Commission under the umbrella of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the National Hub Network which brings together relevant government departments, agencies and key stakeholders, including Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and Údarás na Gaeltachta.

A broad consultation process has been completed to ensure the strategy takes account of the views of key stakeholders, including hub managers, local authorities, and communities.