A special event to mark thirty years of SECAD was hosted at Ballinadee Community Hall – itself one of several hundred projects supported by SECAD since 1995. The celebration included a tree planting ceremony and an exhibition ‘30 Stories for 30 Years’ showcasing the breadth of SECAD’s impact.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin joined with community leaders and a host of business and state service partners in recognising the impact of SECAD Partnership since its inception.
SECAD Partnership was formed to support local people, communities and businesses in the East Cork area, and to address challenges through a ‘bottom-up’ local development approach, supported by the EU and Irish Government.
TRACK RECORD
When SECAD was first established in 1995, the original board of volunteer trustees had enough funding for six months and recruited one employee – Ryan Howard, who has guided SECAD’s growth since that time and still serves as CEO.
Over the past three decades, the organisation has invested over €100 million through direct support and investment in local projects. SECAD’s reach has expanded from a small East Cork initiative, into a leading community development organisation with a team of 50 staff, delivering programmes across Cork and increasingly across the island of Ireland.
At its heart, SECAD is about enabling people and communities to thrive. In 30 years, the organisation has provided tailored employment, enterprise and wellbeing support to over 18,000 individuals, along with supporting 200+ local enterprises, helping create and sustain rural jobs.
SECAD has delivered funding and advice to more than 500 community infrastructure projects, from youth centres to community halls and rural amenities
Having launched Wild Work, a pioneering biodiversity and wellbeing programme that now supports 60+ projects annually, SECAD has also managed Community Benefit Funds tied to renewable energy projects, helping more than 1,500 local initiatives access investment across 50 communities nationwide
SECAD also delivers several key national programmes including: SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme), LEADER, Tús, the RSS (Rural Social Scheme) and LAES (Local Area Employment Services).
“These programmes allow us to meet people where they are,” said Ryan Howard. “Over 30 years, we’ve helped individuals and communities build resilience, whether that’s through finding work, starting a business, restoring a community space, or protecting local biodiversity. More than anything, we’ve built trust — and that trust is what makes real change possible.”
STRONGER COMMUNITIES
Speaking at the milestone event, An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD said that for 30 years, “SECAD has been at the heart of building stronger, more inclusive communities across Cork and beyond. What began as a local initiative has become a model of what can be achieved when we trust communities to lead their own development. As someone with a personal connection to SECAD’s origins, I’m proud to see how far this organisation has come — and confident it will continue to make a powerful difference in the years ahead.”
Gerard McMahon, SECAD Chairman, concluded the event by thanking the funders, partners, staff and volunteers who have supported SECAD since its inception.
