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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 31 May 2000

Vol. 520 No. 2

Priority Questions. - Religious Sites.

Enda Kenny

Question:

12 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the action she has taken to provide access to St. Kevin's Bed, Glendalough; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15346/00]

St. Kevin's Bed is highly unsuitable for public access and I have no plans to provide public access to this site.

Deputy Timmins raised this matter with me some time ago. In 1830 the population of Glendalough was around 1,800. The public had access to St. Kevin's Bed which is part of the Glendalough settlement and a very important site for hundreds of years. Some time ago there was a proposal to give a licence to allow a boat to operate across the lake which would be in accordance with environmental conditions but that was dropped. The Department of Defence rescued 10 people since 1995 from the face of St. Kevin's Bed. Does the Minister not consider that as this is an important element of the Glendalough site it should be part of the presentation of what the site has to offer and, as people climb the cliff through dangerous terrain to reach it, St. Kevin's Bed should be accessible to the public?

The site may be accessed by climbing up a cliff face from the lake shore which is ten meters below. The north facing cliff face is composed of brittle and greasy rock and more rescues have to be carried out there than from any other site in the Wicklow Mountain National Park. This continues to be a problem despite fencing and warning notices that have been placed on the eastern and western approaches to the site. As the Deputy said, the site is easily visible to visitors from the miners' road in the Wicklow mountains national park, but the provision of any form of access is not an option due to factors such as lake depth, safety, technical feasibility, high cost, maintenance, disturbance, and environmental and visual impact. We must take safety factors into account at all times and because of these issues I feel the matter of access should not be considered at this time.

I disagree with the Minister in that. The last 400 metres of Croagh Patrick is a dangerous scree, yet it is climbed by thousands of people every year. Sceilig Mhichíl, which is a very important—

The Deputy is making a statement. Could he ask a question, please?

I have no intention of making a statement. Sceilig Mhichíl off the Kerry coast, which is a wonderful location, is accessible and well presented by the Minister's Department. What is the Minister's objection to making St. Kevin's Bed accessible when she is aware that despite the warning signs in place, people will continue to climb up to it? Surely, accessibility to St. Kevin's Bed should be part and parcel of presenting the entire story of Glendalough.

The Deputy is interested in ensuring that people have access to the maximum knowledge about St. Kevin's Bed and that such knowledge would probably be augmented by a visit to the site itself. I can understand that view but as I have already said, more rescues have been carried out there than at any other site in the Wicklow mountains national park. It is a dangerous site in terms of its position and I have already mentioned the lake shore which is ten metres below. Unfortunately, fencing has not deterred some people from trying to ascend that area, as a result of which they have got into all sorts of problems and have had to be rescued. It is not an option at this time because of the factors I have referred to, including the depth of the lake and other safety requirements. While costs are involved, safety requirements and the environmental and visual impacts of work that would have to be undertaken, are the immediate concerns. Because of that I am not considering the provision of public access to the site.

Does the fact that most rescues take place there not make the case for better access to St. Kevin's Bed? The cost of flying a Dauphin helicopter is £1,425 per hour and the aircraft flew 15 hours of rescue missions there in the past three years. It is a fact of life that people will continue to climb there. For generations, families used to boat visitors across the lake to the site. The Minister should re-examine this matter and visit the site herself to formulate her own view. In accordance with good practice, her Department would be well able to provide an environmentally sensitive and safe access to St. Kevin's Bed.

If an operator applied to the Department for a licence to operate a boat on the lake in accordance with best environmental practice, would the Minister be prepared to consider that as a means of providing the first point of access to the site?

We are talking about being able to provide a controlled safe environment for anyone who wants to access that site. Because of the safety regulations it would not be possible to provide a sufficiently safe environment for people visiting the site. That is the reason I made my earlier statement in reply to Deputy Kenny.

I have not seen any proposals to operate a boat on the lake, but if the Deputy is aware of someone who wishes to make such proposals to my Department I will examine that question. While the safety requirements of such a plan would have to be assessed, I would welcome any proposals by the Deputy, or by a constituent of his perhaps, and I would revert to him in the normal way.

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