Fianna Fáil Minister Darragh O’Brien, recently met NBA legend Pat Riley at the Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat, where they discussed  the strong ties between Ireland and the Irish-American community in Florida.
 
During the visit, Minister O’Brien presented Mr. Riley with a Cavan GAA jersey in recognition of his proud Cavan roots. In return, Mr. Riley gifted the Minister a Miami Heat jersey, a gesture symbolising the deep connections between Irish and American sporting traditions.
 
“The Irish-American presence in Florida is vibrant and meaningful,” said Minister O’Brien. “It was an honor to meet Pat, discuss his family’s Irish heritage, and strengthen the bonds between our communities. We look forward to welcoming him back to Ireland in the near future.”

Funding will support the delivery of Greenway projects throughout the country
 
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, Minister of State Seán Canney and Minister of State Jerry Buttimer have announced €67 million in funding for Greenways and National Roads Active Travel infrastructure through Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in 2025. This allocation is dedicated to developing walking and cycling facilities that offer safe, sustainable and healthier transportation options to communities. 
It is expected that approximately 24km of Greenways will be delivered in 2025. Further section openings are expected on the Grand Canal Greenway and the South East Greenway, and work will continue on the South Kerry Greenway and on other projects located across the country.
This allocation will also be used to fund approximately 60 Greenway schemes to move through the planning and design stages. These include the Fingal Coastal Way, Limerick to Scarriff, Burtonport to Letterkenny Greenway and the Arklow to Shillelagh Greenway.
The allocation will also be used to enable delivery of active travel infrastructure on national roads, and to progress the National Cycle Network which identifies 3,500 km of cycling corridors around the country linking cities and towns.
This allocation of €67 million for the Greenways programme is in addition to approximately €293 million allocated to fund the Active Travel programme, announced by the NTA in January 2025.The Active Travel programme supports a range of walking and cycling schemes including improved pedestrian environments, new segregated cycling lanes, pedestrian and cycling bridges, and pedestrian crossings. This combined allocation of €360 million for walking and cycling infrastructure in 2025 shows the Government’s continued commitment to safe, sustainable and healthy transport options.
Announcing the Greenway Allocations, Minister O’Brien said: “The allocation of €360 million in 2025 for active travel and greenway infrastructure demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to expanding sustainable transport options. This funding will support the development of high-quality walking and cycling facilities in cities, towns, village and rural areas. Today in Malahide, I am pleased to announce €67 million of this investment, which will help deliver key greenway projects all over the country. There is great excitement in my community as we anticipate the completion of the Broadmeadow Greenway in 2026 and look forward to the progression of the Fingal Coastal scheme north to Balbriggan.”
Minister of State Seán Canney said: “Greenways are safe and accessible transport corridors that encourage greater levels of travel by cycling and walking, rather than by private cars, for leisure users, tourists and commuters. The continued expansion of our walking and cycling network through Greenway and active travel infrastructure on our national roads is crucial in offering safe travel options to cyclists and pedestrians. It also contributes to our progress towards Vision Zero, our road safety strategy which sets out to achieve zero road fatalities or serious injuries by 2050.”
Minister of State Jerry Buttimer said: “Greenways have represented a tremendous success for rural Ireland showcasing our beautiful landscape, bringing visitors to overlooked areas and helping small local businesses to thrive. Greenways also provide an outdoor recreational facility that all members of the community can enjoy. I welcome today’s funding announcement for Greenway projects and look forward to the delivery of new and expanded routes in the coming years.”
Peter Walsh, Chief Executive of TII, said: “The 2025 Greenway funding highlights the commitment of the Department of Transport and the Government to deliver active travel options throughout the country. TII along with our Local Authority partners will continue to deliver and progress these important Greenway Projects.”
 
Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Greenways and National Roads Active Travel Infrastructure Investment Grants
2025 Allocations – Breakdown by Local Authority 
 

County
Allocation (€)

Cavan County Council
330,000

Clare County Council
1,850,000

Cork County Council
6,970,000

Donegal County Council
4,370,000

Fingal County Council
750,000

Galway City Council
200,000

Galway County Council
3,500,000

Kerry County Council
8,250,000

Kildare County Council
4,200,000

Kilkenny County Council
1,700,000

Laois County Council
50,000

Leitrim County Council
1,700,000

Limerick City and County Council 
1,150,000

Longford County Council
50,000

Louth County Council
610,000

Mayo County Council
4,600,000

Meath County Council
1,400,000

Monaghan County Council
2,050,000

Offaly County Council
855,000

Roscommon County Council
2,295,000

Sligo County Council
1,230,000

South Dublin County Council
2,150,000

Tipperary County Council
625,000

Transport Infrastructure Ireland
(contingency, studies and renewal works)
8,000,000

Waterford City and County Council 
1,000,000

Westmeath County Council
2,115,000

Wexford County Council
3,150,000

Wicklow County Council
1,650,000

Grand Total
66,800,000

 
 

Reserve will address Ireland’s energy security needs while avoiding fossil fuel lock-in
 
Minister Darragh O’Brien has today received Government approval to proceed with the development of a State-led strategic gas emergency reserve. The delivery of a temporary gas reserve is critical to Ireland’s energy security as we continue to transition to indigenous, clean renewable energy. Crucially, the strategic gas emergency reserve will also ensure compliance with EU standards and regulation.
 
The emergency reserve will be in the form of a Floating Storage and Regassification Unit (FSRU), to be owned on behalf of the State by the system operator, Gas Networks Ireland (GNI). This is a similar approach to that used for oil security by the National Oil Reserves Agency.
 
In identifying this as the optimal approach, the Department has built upon the extensive review of security of Ireland’s gas and electricity systems which was approved by Government in the ‘Energy Security in Ireland to 2030’ plan in November 2023. The plan sets out Ireland’s ambition to transform our energy system and support our climate objectives. The plan includes 28 actions, under the pillars of sustainability, affordability and security. Under Action 17 of that plan, GNI was tasked with reviewing and recommending the optimal approach to deliver the strategic gas emergency reserve.
 
The development of a state-led reserve in the form of an FSRU is consistent with Ireland’s climate law. It is a transitional measure – reducing the risk of stranded fossil fuel assets, for emergency use only, and does not support increased gas demand.
 
Minister Darragh O’Brien said:
 
“The approval of this approach represents the culmination of extensive research, analysis and engagement in relation to Ireland’s energy security needs. As a small island nation reliant on interconnection, our exposure to potential disruption to gas supplies presents a significant risk to our energy security, and the continuity of supply to businesses and households across Ireland. This emergency reserve will provide an alternative source of gas at an appropriate scale if Ireland was to experience such an interruption.
 
“Our view remains that long-term energy security is best achieved through substantial growth in indigenous clean, renewable energy; improvements in energy efficiency; electrification of heat and transport; and increased electrical interconnection with our European neighbours. This will minimise the imports of fossil energy in the long-term. In the meantime, the development of a state-led, strategic reserve will ensure the continuity of gas supply as an essential transitional energy security measure.”
 
ENDS
 
Ireland’s Energy Security:
 

• Ireland is one of five EU member states without domestic gas storage, something which has been identified as a considerable risk in the event of damage to one or both of our subsea gas interconnectors.
• The ‘Energy Security in Ireland to 2030’ report was approved by government in November 2023. The plan includes 28 actions and is defined by three policy objectives: sustainability, affordability, and security.
• For example, the plan commits to delivering a fit for purpose electricity grid that supports Ireland’s energy ambition and to successfully deliver electricity interconnectors.
• Action 17 of the Plan was the development of a state-led strategic gas reserve.
• The delivery of a strategic gas reserve is essential to Ireland’s energy security, and to ensure compliance with the EU N-1 Infrastructure Standard regulation. This requirement is that a member state must have, in the event of a disruption of the single largest gas infrastructure in the state, the capacity in its remaining infrastructure to satisfy total gas demand during a day of exceptional gas demand.
• Ireland’s future energy will be secure by moving from an oil, peat, coal and gas-based energy system to an electricity-led system maximising our own renewable energy potential, flexibility and being integrated into Europe’s energy systems.
• Ireland’s energy system transformation is underway. Renewables and interconnection are at record levels and emissions fell for a second year in-a-row. However, as we have seen on very cold and calm days, the electricity system remains reliant on natural gas for electricity.

 
Floating Storage and Regassification Unit (FSRU):
 

• A FSRU is a large vessel with the ability to store, transport, and regasify Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and distribute this natural gas to the national gas network. It would be moored on a purpose built jetty.
• The appropriate location will need to be a coastal site suitable for development with access to the gas network and sheltered deep-sea access. There is a limited number of locations in Ireland that are likely to meet the required site conditions for berthing a transitional FSRU.
• The FSRU will have capacity of 170,000 cubic meters of LNG when full, which would be sufficient to supply 200,000 average domestic gas customer demand for 6 months. Alternatively, the FSRU would have the ability to supply the entire gas demand for Ireland for seven days and would be refilled to continue to supply the national gas network.
• GNI will ensure appropriate contractual arrangements are in place to refill the FSRU throughout an emergency situation to provide consistent gas supplies via the FSRU for the duration required.
• GNI have advised that the FSRU may be procured on a long-term leasing arrangement or an outright purchase.
• While not an entry point into the market, natural evaporation, known as boil-off, is unavoidable when natural gas is liquefied, and the generated boil-off gas (BOG) must be removed to preserve the tanks’ pressure.
• A minimum send out of gas from the FSRU to the national gas network will ensure gas is not lost in this manner.
• Arrangements will be put in place to permit this minimum send out of gas into the national network, however this arrangement should not impact on the operation of the market.
• This is likely to result in the strategic gas emergency reserve being refilled up to six times per year.