Ba mhaith liom ar dtús mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire as ucht glacadh leis an gcuireadh anocht a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht phráinneach seo faoin eaglais Chaitliceach is sine ó aimsir na bPéindlíthe sa chontae agamsa.
Sa cheist a chuir mé d'iarr mé ar an Aire cuairt a thabhairt dá bhféadfadh sé ar an bhfoirgneamh stairiúil seo i Ros Eo i gceartlár Fhine Gall. Tuigim gur thug clár reachtaire an Aire cuairt ar Ros Eo tráth an ama seo anuraidh. Ach d'fheicfí an t-uafás oibre curtha i gcrích ó shin da dtabharfaí cuairt anois ar Ionad Cultúrdha Réigiúnda Saint Maur. Ar son coiste St. Maur's Trust Limited impím ar an Aire cuairt a thabhairt ar St. Maur's go luath chun an éacht oibre a fheiceáil, ag sabháil an fhoirgnimh thabhachtaigh seo.
St. Maur's Church is the last major building in the Rush area left standing after the demolition of Kenure House and many thatched houses in recent years. As such St. Maur's has great local importance as well as being the earliest example of a penal Catholic church in the Fingal area. This fine building began as a thatched chapel in 1730 and assumed most of its present structure in 1760. Recognising their responsibility to this and future generations, the people of Rush formed a trust to set about giving the building, no longer used as a church, a secure future and a new lease of life.
Both the size and architectural merit of St. Maur's make it an ideal venue for many cultural pursuits. Visiting theatrical and musical companies would be well suited to this historical venue, which could be used for exhibitions. Many requests have been received already by the trust to make St. Maur's available for musical and choral recitals. The committee, however, cannot allow the venue to be used until such essentials as emergency lighting are installed. The spire also needs to be reinstated, but a debt to suppliers and others, including a bank, stands at £20,000.
Such is the goodwill in Rush towards the project that between £7,000 and £8,000 a year has been and continues to be raised, but the daunting task of renovating St. Maur's is estimated to cost £200,000. As things stand a mere £30,000 would not just clear the debt which threatens to bankrupt the project, it would after ten years of voluntary community effort, put this unique project on a safe and sustainable footing, able to earn an income, promote the arts and pay for continued maintenance and development of this fine and unique building.
Last year the Minister, when visiting St. Maur's, requested a full estimate of outstanding work. The estimate, to include various improvements, came to around £90,000. However, £30,000 would be sufficient to save the project from bankruptcy, and this is the basic message for the Minister this evening. Applications for grant assistance are with the National Heritage Council since October 1994, and with the Arts Council since before that. Fingal County Council originally gave £15,000 in grant assistance while the Church authorities gave £40,000. The project has huge potential for promoting the various aspects of life and well-being which the Minister promotes so well in other areas, as a potential joint venture between St. Maur's Trust Limited, the Arts Council and the arts department of Fingal County Council. I now call on the Minister to play his part and, in so doing, save this wonderfully unique project from bankruptcy and Stubbs Gazette.
