Vol. 540 No. 3
22 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands her views on whether Garnish Island, Illnacullin, is unique, attracting about 80,000 visitors annually; and if she will make available funding necessary for a major redevelopment programme on the island. [20227/01]
Illnacullin Glengarriff, County Cork, more commonly known as Garnish Island, was bequeathed to the State in 1953 and I am happy to confirm it is one of the premier heritage properties managed by my Department. As such, my Department has invested considerably in the maintenance and development of the island over the years including restoration of the Casita and Pavilion in the Italian Garden and the provision of enhanced visitor facilities, in particular the provision of tearooms. Plans are currently in hand for upgrading paths and steps in addition to the ongoing programme of maintenance of the plant collections and grounds. The Deputy can rest assured that my Department continues to actively monitor the position and will implement further improvements as may be considered warranted, for example, improvements to the slipway, the Martello tower and staff facilities, subject of course to financial resources being available.
