€4.84m Handed Out for Community Safety, and Monaghan Gets Nothing for a Second Year
Projects from the Monaghan Local Community Safety Partnership missed out again as the Justice Minister shared €4.84 million from the proceeds of crime among 56 projects. Cllr Sinéad Flynn wants an urgent review.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Drumlins near the Cavan-Monaghan border. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
For the second year running, no project from County Monaghan has won money from the national Community Safety Fund, according to Cllr Sinéad Flynn, vice chair of the Monaghan Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP).
The 2026 fund, announced by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on 29 September, is supporting 56 projects nationwide with €4.84 million, the Department of Justice says. It received 254 applications.
Where the money comes from
The fund directs the proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau and An Garda Síochána back into local projects aimed at building "stronger, safer communities", according to the Department.
"Left behind"
Cllr Flynn (SF) told Northern Sound that projects submitted by members of the Monaghan LCSP were aimed at "making a real difference to community safety" and had again been unsuccessful. She called it another example of the county being "left behind" and "forgotten about by Government".
"Our community organisations do tremendous work on the ground and deserve a fair opportunity to benefit from funding generated from the proceeds of crime," she said. "I believe this decision should be reviewed as a matter of urgency and that County Monaghan should receive its fair share of this important funding."
She is seeking the backing of Monaghan County Council to write directly to Minister O'Callaghan asking why the county missed out.
Changes coming to the fund
The Department says the National Office for Community Safety will review the fund's operating model and criteria so future projects match the national strategy and local community safety plans. It says this may mean the way projects apply, and how they are assessed, will be different in 2027.
Monaghan County Council had the lowest social housing vacancy rate in Ireland in 2025, at 0.52%, and the fastest turnaround of empty homes, at 11.61 weeks against a national average of more than 32, according to the national local government watchdog.
Council, Gardaí, fire service and the RSA launched the County Monaghan Road Safety Action Plan for 2026–2027 at Monaghan Fire Station, with lower school-area speed limits and targeted enforcement among the priorities.
Monaghan County Council has adopted its revised Development Plan with 84% more land zoned for housing, and voted to rezone extra sites at Magheross, Carrickmacross, and Corracloghan, Castleblayney, against the Chief Executive's advice. Those two votes now go to the Planning Regulator.
