The Department of Education and Youth operates from three main offices, nine regional sites, and a network of specialist units — a structure that can leave callers bouncing between outdated directories. This guide maps out exactly where to find the people and services you need, whether you’re a teacher sorting out payroll, a parent looking for school support, or a job seeker hunting for openings on the official recruitment portal.

Full Name: Department of Education and Youth ·
Main Office: Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 ·
Main Phone: 01 889 6400 ·
Email: info@education.gov.ie

Quick snapshot

The following cards capture the department’s confirmed structure, known gaps, upcoming focus areas, and primary contact channels.

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3What happens next
  • Department continues operating from Dublin, Athlone, and Tullamore as primary hubs (Gov.ie Human Resources Unit page)
  • New applicants directed to educationposts.ie for recruitment (Official Gov.ie page for the Department)
4Key contact details
  • Customer Services: Customer_ServiceOffice@education.gov.ie (Gov.ie Customer Service page)
  • Press Office: press@education.gov.ie (Official Gov.ie page for the Department)
  • Staff Training: staff_training@education.gov.ie (Gov.ie Human Resources Unit page)

The table below consolidates the department’s primary online touchpoints and official resource portals.

Contact Point Value
Official Name Department of Education and Youth
Government Site www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/
Main Portal www.education.ie/
Recruitment Site www.educationposts.ie/
Wikipedia Overview Wikipedia overview of the Department

What is the Department of Education Ireland?

The Department of Education and Youth is Ireland’s central government body responsible for education policy, youth development, and school support across the Republic of Ireland. It operates under the leadership of the Minister for Education and Youth and oversees a network that spans from early childhood through secondary education.

The department’s staff are based in three main offices — Dublin, Athlone, and Tullamore — plus other local and regional office locations across the country, according to the official Human Resources Unit page on Gov.ie. In addition to these three primary sites, the Department maintains nine regional offices throughout the country which include inspection and educational psychological staff.

Overview and mission

The Department of Education and Youth exists to facilitate children and young people, through learning, to achieve their full potential. This mission encompasses policy development, funding allocation to schools and Education and Training Boards (ETBs), teacher training coordination, and oversight of curriculum standards. The department works closely with 16 regional Education and Training Boards, which deliver further education and training services directly to communities nationwide.

Leadership and structure

The department is led by the Minister for Education and Youth, with the official headquarters and ministerial offices located at Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96, according to Wikipedia. The organisational structure includes specialist units for human resources, customer services, press and communications, and the Eurydice Unit — Ireland’s link to the EU’s education information network.

The upshot

The Department of Education and Youth functions as the central hub connecting government policy with actual delivery through schools, ETBs, and regional offices. For parents, teachers, or job seekers, knowing which of the three main offices handles your specific need can cut your wait time significantly.

Where is the Department of Education address?

The Department of Education and Youth maintains its official headquarters in Dublin, with two major regional offices in the midlands. Understanding which location serves which function helps you direct your enquiry to the right desk on the first attempt.

Main headquarters

The official headquarters is located at Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96, as listed on Gov.ie. This building houses the ministerial offices, Press Office, Customer Services Office, and the Dublin-based HR Unit. The headquarters serves as the primary point for general enquiries, media contact, and matters requiring ministerial-level attention.

Key contact details

The general contact email for the Department is info@education.gov.ie, with the main telephone number listed as 01 889 6400 on Gov.ie. The Customer Services Office, also based at Marlborough Street, can be reached by email at Customer_ServiceOffice@education.gov.ie or by phone at (01) 889 6690.

Why this matters

The Dublin headquarters handles general policy enquiries and media contact. If you’re seeking a specific service — teacher payroll, school funding, or student support — you’ll get faster results by contacting the relevant regional office directly rather than the main switchboard.

Department of Education contact?

Reaching the right person at a government department often means knowing which unit handles your specific matter. The Department of Education and Youth separates its contact channels by function, from HR enquiries to recruitment and staff training.

Phone and email

General enquiries flow through the Customer Services Office at Dublin headquarters: Customer_ServiceOffice@education.gov.ie or (01) 889 6690. For human resources matters, the department maintains dedicated HR contacts in each of its three main offices — Dublin at (01) 889 6636, Athlone at (090) 648 3620, and Tullamore at (057) 932 4313, according to the Gov.ie HR Unit page.

The Press Office, also based at Marlborough Street, can be contacted at press@education.gov.ie or the general main line (01) 889 6400. The Eurydice Unit — which coordinates Ireland’s participation in the EU’s education information network — operates from the Dublin headquarters and can be reached at Eurydice@education.gov.ie or +353 1 871004256.

Online portals

The official Gov.ie page serves as the primary online hub for departmental information, news, and organisational details. For teaching and support staff vacancies, the dedicated recruitment portal is educationposts.ie, which lists current openings across primary, secondary, and further education settings.

The catch

Skipping the Dublin bottleneck and calling the Athlone or Tullamore numbers directly often saves 10–15 minutes of transfer time. The main switchboard redirects most queries to the appropriate regional office anyway, so going straight to the source eliminates an unnecessary middle step.

What is Department of Education payroll?

Teacher payroll and related staff payment matters are handled by the Athlone Office, which serves as the department’s primary hub for educator compensation, allocation, and professional development support.

Payroll services overview

The Athlone Office at Cornamaddy handles teacher payroll, teacher allocation, school and ETB funding, teacher professional development, special education, and social inclusion programmes, according to the Eurydice report on Irish education governance. This makes the Athlone location the critical contact point for anyone whose employment relationship is with a school or ETB rather than directly with the department.

Accessing payroll info

Queries about payroll should be directed to the HR Unit in Athlone at (090) 648 3620, as listed on Gov.ie. For matters relating to school funding, ETB allocations, or teacher hiring across regions, the Athlone Office at (090) 648 3600 serves as the primary point of contact.

What to watch

Confirming your employer type before calling prevents wasted transfers. Payroll queries for staff directly employed by schools or ETBs are distinct from queries about civil servant payroll — the latter falls under the Department of Public Expenditure, not the Department of Education.

Department of Education Cornamaddy, Athlone, Tullamore?

Beyond the Dublin headquarters, the Department of Education and Youth operates two major regional offices — one in Athlone and one in Tullamore — each specialising in different policy areas. Knowing the function of each office helps you route your enquiry correctly.

Cornamaddy office

The Athlone Office is located at Cornamaddy, Athlone, Co Westmeath, N37 X659, as confirmed on Gov.ie. This office handles teacher payroll, teacher allocation, school and ETB funding, teacher professional development, special education, and social inclusion. The main Athlone telephone is (090) 648 3600.

Athlone location

Athlone’s central position in the country makes it a practical hub for educator-facing services. The HR Unit in Athlone can be reached at (090) 648 3620, while the Staff Training and Development Unit at the same address can be contacted by email at staff_training@education.gov.ie or by phone at (090) 648 4116, according to Gov.ie.

Tullamore details

The Tullamore Office is located at Portlaoise Road, Tullamore, Co Offaly, R35 Y2N5, as listed on Gov.ie. According to Eurydice, this office houses the higher education student support unit and the Building and Planning Unit. The main Tullamore telephone is (057) 932 4300, with the HR Unit contact at (057) 932 4313.

The catch

Anyone needing the nine regional inspection and psychology offices should contact the nearest main office for referral, since the specific addresses for these sites are not publicly listed in detail on the main Gov.ie pages.

What we know — and what we don’t

Confirmed facts

  • Department of Education and Youth is an Irish government department for education and youth policy
  • Main headquarters at Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 (gov.ie, tier 1)
  • Regional offices in Athlone (Cornamaddy, N37 X659) and Tullamore (Portlaoise Road, R35 Y2N5)
  • Three main offices with nine additional regional offices for inspection and psychology staff (Eurydice, tier 2)
  • Athlone handles teacher payroll, funding, special education (Eurydice, tier 2)
  • Tullamore handles higher education student support and building/planning (Eurydice, tier 2)
  • General contact: info@education.gov.ie; main phone: 01 889 6400 (Gov.ie, tier 1)
  • Recruitment via educationposts.ie (Gov.ie, tier 1)

What’s unclear

  • Exact street addresses for the nine regional inspection and psychology offices
  • Whether any offices have relocated or been renamed post-2025
  • Specific payroll process steps for newly hired teachers
  • Current establishment dates for the Athlone or Tullamore offices

What the Department says

The department’s staff are based in our three main offices of Dublin, Athlone and Tullamore as well as other local and regional office locations across the country.

— Human Resources Unit, Department of Education (Gov.ie Human Resources Unit page)

In addition to the education offices in Dublin, Athlone and Tullamore, the Department has nine regional offices throughout the country which include inspection and educational psychological staff.

— Eurydice Report on Irish Education Governance (Eurydice report on Irish education governance)

For anyone navigating Ireland’s education system — whether as a teacher checking payroll, a school administrator seeking funding details, or a parent looking for local support — the Department of Education and Youth operates a deliberately structured network. Dublin handles the broad policy and ministerial functions; Athlone carries the weight of educator-facing services like payroll and professional development; Tullamore focuses on higher education and infrastructure. The nine regional offices add further depth for inspection and psychology, though their specific locations remain less accessible online.

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Ireland’s further education landscape extends through ETB community colleges, whose regional centres complement the department’s main offices in Dublin and Athlone.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Department of Education do?

The Department of Education and Youth sets education policy for Ireland, allocates funding to schools and Education and Training Boards, coordinates teacher training, oversees curriculum standards, and supports youth development from early childhood through secondary education.

Who is the Minister for Education and Youth?

The current Minister for Education and Youth leads the department, with ministerial offices located at Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96. For the most up-to-date ministerial information, check the official Gov.ie page.

What is education.ie used for?

Education.ie serves as the main portal for educational resources, news, and departmental information in Ireland, complementing the official government hub at Gov.ie.

How does the Department support schools?

The Department supports schools through funding allocation, teacher payroll processing, professional development coordination, special education programmes, and curriculum oversight. The Athlone Office is the primary hub for school-facing administrative services.

What jobs are available at the Department of Education?

Teaching, support staff, and administrative vacancies are posted on the dedicated recruitment portal at educationposts.ie. This covers opportunities across primary, secondary, and further education settings in Ireland.

Is there a Department of Education LinkedIn page?

For official LinkedIn presence, check the Gov.ie social channels or the Department of Education’s listed profiles. The primary digital presence remains on Gov.ie and the education.ie portal.

What is the role of educationposts.ie?

Educationposts.ie is the official recruitment portal for teaching and support staff positions across Irish schools and ETBs, managed under the Department of Education’s aegis.

Does the Department handle higher education?

The Department of Education and Youth oversees policy for higher education student support through its Tullamore Office, which houses the higher education student support unit. University funding and policy coordination fall under the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.