Vol. 479 No. 2
25 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his reasons for rejecting the recommendations of the Heritage Council in relation to the restoration of the Asgard; and his views on whether it is appropriate to consign the Asgard to a glass case in Collins Barracks, Dublin 7, when it could be a living artefact. [12666/97]
In November 1996 the chairperson of the Heritage Council informed me that a committee of the council had met representatives of the Asgard Restoration Project Ltd. in connection with their proposals in relation to the Asgard and that the council supports the proposals. These proposals involve the restoration of the vessel to a seaworthy condition, its use as a floating exhibit with the possibility of bringing her occasionally by sea to particular events.
In restoring the Asgard to a seaworthy condition, the approach would have to be to remove and replace all components which are damaged or degraded regardless of historic significance. Such an approach would be contrary to established conservation practice which, in view of the vessel's historical significance, should take precedence.
The future permanent location of the vessel is under consideration at present and in this regard one of the options being considered is its location in the new National Museum complex in the former Collins Barracks. It is not possible to say that it will be located there or the manner in which it would be displayed until the report of consultants appointed to examine the use of areas of the complex has been received and considered.
