Working hand-in-hand for positive change in Clare
Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) provides community support in Clare, helping people make their lives better. As a community-led, not-for-profit organisation, Community is at the heart of everything we do. We work hand-in-hand with individuals, families, groups and other organisations to help the people of Clare build a better future for their communities.
Whether you’re looking to organise a project, support youth, start a business, find employment, access training, or make your community more sustainable, CLDC is here to help every step of the way.
Clare Local Development Company
Creating Opportunities, Strengthening Communities,
Protecting Our Future
Clare Local Development Company
Ready to apply for
LEADER funding?
Community
Support for community groups, mentoring, guidance, training, help with grants and funding, job placements, and connections with other services.
Inclusion
Promoting kindness, support, and equal access to opportunities, particularly for marginalized or disadvantaged groups.
Wellbeing
Focus on physical and mental health, cultural identity, environment, and community connections to help individuals and families thrive.
Sustainability + Climate
Support for environmental projects, energy upgrades, and local responses to climate challenges, ensuring no one is left behind in these efforts.
Enterprise
Assistance for individuals, community groups, and not-for-profits in starting or building businesses, including mentoring, guidance, training, and support with grants.
Employment
Help for individuals to find meaningful work, build skills, and access support through programs like Tús and Local Area Employment Services.
Building stronger futures in clare
Events
Events
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Cooking Skills For Life
Project Me Kilrush (closed group), Sep 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, 10:30 – 1, Kilrush Part of the SICAP Wellbeing programme
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Clare Pride 2026: Five Days of Community and Celebration
Clare Pride 2026 will bring a colourful and wide-ranging programme of events to the county from 16–20 September, led by local LGBTQIA+ organisation QuareClare and supported by Clare Local Development Company.
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CLDC Patient Moving & Handling Training
CLDC is hosting Patient Moving and Handling Training in Kilrush on Thursday 17 September, from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The course includes manual handling training and is suitable for people working in, or seeking work in, healthcare and homecare settings. Eligibility and registration apply.
Latest Updates & Insights
News
July 22, 2026
Clare Outdoor Recreation Plan – Community-Led Vision
Clare’s new Outdoor Recreation Plan will be launched in Inchiquin, near Corofin, on Friday 24 July 2026 at 2pm. The event will feature remarks by CLDC’s Rural Recreation Officer, Eoin Hogan, underscoring the county’s commitment to its outdoors. The plan has been shaped by extensive stakeholder input: local landowners, sports and heritage groups, and hundreds of residents have been consulted through meetings, surveys and public forums. This broad engagement reflects a shared commitment across Clare to protect and enhance
July 22, 2026
Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) 2026–2027 – Applications now open
The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) 2026–2027 is now open for applications, offering funding for the development, repair and promotion of outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas across Ireland. The scheme supports projects such as walking and cycling trails, blueways, mountain and upland paths, water‑based amenities and visitor‑management measures that protect sensitive environments while improving access for local communities and visitors. ORIS provides up to 90% grant aid, with a minimum 10%
July 1, 2026
Traveller health report gives strong backing to permanent local investment
A new Oireachtas report on Traveller health and mental health gives strong national backing to the kind of community-led work already underway in County Clare through Clare Traveller CDP and the Clare Traveller Primary Health Care Project. The report was produced by the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community and sets out 69 recommendations across health, mental health, discrimination, accommodation, education, employment, and service access. The report’s central finding is that Traveller health inequ
Supporting and Empowering People
The Impact of CLDC
Annual Impact – 2025 Totals
Community groups + Social Enterprises supported
Individuals accessing CLDC support
million (€) invested in County Clare in 2025
Children + young people supported
SICAP Funding Partners
CLDC FAMILY TREE
We have many different programmes at CLDC, but we all belong
to the same family, and we work together for positive change.
“We are united by a common purpose : we want to help people improve their lives, and build a better future for their communities.”
Social Inclusion & Community
Activation Programme (SICAP)
Rural Recreation
Sustainable Energy
Communities (SEC)
Rural Social Scheme
(RSS)
Traveller Primary
Healthcare Project (PHCP)
Cairde Beag Childcare
Roma Inclusion Project
Local Area Employment
Service (LAES)
Traveller Community
Development Project (CDP)
Tús
LEADER
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