Ireland: Designated Activity Companies (DACs) — Practitioner Guide to Capacity, Constitution, Membership, Share Transfers, Directors’ Duties, Meetings and Compliance under the Companies Act 2014

Published by a Lexis+ Ireland - Corporate expert

Practice notes

What is a designated activity company?

The designated activity company (DAC) is established under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2014 (Ireland) (CA 2014 (IRL)) and is defined as either:

a private company limited by shares whose capacity and powers extend solely to the activities specified in its constitution (memorandum of association)
or a private company limited by guarantee with a share capital, whose capacity and powers are confined to the matters stated in its constitution

CA 2014 (IRL) introduced the DAC as a new company form. Like a limited liability company, a DAC is a distinct legal person, separate from its members. Ownership sits with members who hold shares in the company. The company alone is answerable for its obligations and may bring proceedings to enforce its own rights. Its directors manage the company in line with CA 2014 (IRL) and its governing constitutional documents.

Limited liability

Under CA 2014 (IRL), a company is a ‘limited company’ where the liability of its members is limited. Accordingly, a DAC’s liability is limited, in the...

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Inez Cullen

Philip Lee

Inez is a partner in Philip Lee’s corporate department. She focuses on advising She domestic and international clients doing business in or through Ireland.Inez has wide ranging transactional experience across various sectors. She has represented clients on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fundraisings, AIM admissions and placings, Takeover Code issues, start-up investments, corporate recovery/insolvency, development finance transactions, corporate governance, commercial contracts, employment law issues and general corporate/commercial law matters for Irish and international clients.Inez is a qualified Irish and UK lawyer. Her knowledge, together with practical experience, enables her to represent companies, directors, shareholders, debtors and creditors alike with a strong focus on commercial realism, flexibility and attention to detail....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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