I understand that Senator Neville will share his time with Senator Kiely. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Adjournment Matters. - Famine Monument.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
I thank you for taking this motion and I commend the Government for the work it has done in commemorating the Famine and its decision to erect a monument in remembrance of the victims. I commend RTÉ, especially RTÉ Radio, for its excellent broadcasts of realistic programmes on the devastation of that period.
We suggest that the proposed monument for the victims of the Great Famine should be sited in Knockfierna, County Limerick and that it should fulfil certain criteria. First, it should provide a factual reminder to all of the conditions endured by the poorest of our people who were the main victims of the Famine. It should also enable people to respect and value their ancestors. Second, it should evoke an emotional response to poverty and deprivation. Third, it should leave a lasting impression on all who see and experience it. Such a monument already exists at Knockfierna National Famine Commemoration Park, Ballingarry, County Limerick. This project is now near completion and will I believe provide a unique setting for the monument.
More than 1,000 people lived at Knockfierna Hill at the outbreak of the Famine. The land was commonage and therefore rent free and the poorest and most destitute families — many of whom had been evicted — came to eke out a living from the tiny patches of poor land that surrounded their hovels. By 1851 only 300 remained. Being commonage, the hill remained undisturbed and the houses fell to ruins. They have now been cleared and the shacks restored on their original walls or foundations. No changes have been made in any detail of the design of the houses and they are roofed with sod or thatch. When visiting these houses it is possible to understand exactly the conditions of the people who lived there. Potato ridges are still visible adjacent to the houses. A group of us, including Senator Kiely, visited the area during the past weeks. In our young days we climbed the hill of Knockfierna practically every Sunday but then we did not note the historical significance of the potato ridges. The old pathways and walls have been cleared. The wells from which the people drew water are still there. Seeing these houses and little patches of land must engender a sense of respect for the stoic courage of those who daily eked out an existence for their families.
Knockfierna is an ancient magical place associated with the god of truth — Donn Firinne. It has been inhabited since Neolithic times and contains a fine fort, cairn and dolmen. It is the highest point in County Limerick and commands panoramic views of four counties. Many visitors have felt a strange sense of life long ago in its magical quietness.
The Famine houses are almost complete and comprehensive research has been done. A vast array of historical detail will be available to visitors. The Knockfierna Heritage and Folklore Group are in control and they have no desire to run the park as a commercial enterprise as they believe it is inappropriate to profit from the poverty of the people they honour and remember. There will be no admittance charge for anybody who wishes to come to Knockfierna.
The project has attracted widespread interest. For example, the BBC recorded a considerable amount of the footage for its four-part documentary on the Famine at this site, Welsh radio has done a programme on it and there have been articles in many newspapers in the UK and the US. Many historians who have visited the project have been impressed by it.
This silent, lonely, beautiful and unspoilt place has made a deep and lasting impression on all those who have seen it and it would serve as a fitting monument to our brave hard pressed ancestors. It is totally authentic and no statue or stone could provide the same understanding or appreciation of this major catastrophe which shaped the future of our country. I urge members of the Government, the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, and the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Taylor, seriously to consider making this site a monument to the Famine.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing Senator Neville and me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. The person who said to me that this was a new coalition may have been correct as anything is possible in politics.
I visited the site at Knockfierna some time ago and was very impressed by the restoration work being carried out. Even though Senator Neville lives on one side of the hill and I live on the other side this is not the reason we believe it should be made a national monument to the Famine. Rather the houses, potato ridges and wells which have remained untouched for 150 years give a clear picture of how people lived at the time of the Famine.
This project has been undertaken by the Knockfierna Heritage and Folklore Group which is spearheaded by a Clareman, Pat O'Donovan, who lives in Rathkeale and has a business in New-castlewest. I commend him and his committee on their vision and the great work they have carried out to date. Much research has been carried out and information, including reports from national and local papers, police reports and maps, can be made available. It is also proposed to produce a journal in the near future.
There is widespread interest in this historical project which will be freely available to visitors and many newspapers have written articles on it. The hill is the highest in County Limerick and one can see many counties from the top. Before the committee cleared and repaired the roadway which was overgrown with bushes etc. it was impossible to gain access to the project by car. While it is now possible to drive to the summit it is not a comfortable journey and I am sure Limerick County Council, of which Senator Neville is a member, will ensure that a proper roadway is built.
This project is not only a tourist attraction but also a memorial to the Famine of 150 years ago. A new hotel will soon be opened in Ballingarry and this will be of benefit to any Ministers who visit this national monument which I hope will be located in Knockfierna adjacent to Ballingarry. It is also adjacent to Shannon Airport and would give a boost to the Shannon region by attracting foreign visitors.
I thank the FÁS officials for the great work they have done there and appeal to the Government to give favourable consideration to siting the national Famine monument in Knockfierna, near Ballingarry, County Limerick.
The location of a national memorial to the victims of the great Famine is under active consideration by the Famine Commemoration Committee of which the Minister of State, Deputy Avril Doyle is the chairperson. On 4 August 1995 the committee invited the general public, through advertisements in the national press, to suggest locations for the Government's national monument to the victims of the Great Famine. There has been an excellent response to the request for suggestions for a suitable location for a national monument to the Famine.
The Minister of State wishes to thank everyone for their recent representations on behalf of the various locations. The deadline for the receipt of suggestions is 1 October, and the Minister of State would be grateful for any further suggestions which members of the public might wish to make. She would be most grateful also for any suggestion which Members of the Oireachtas might wish to make, including Members of this House. She is happy to assure Senators that the locations they have been so good as to suggest today will be carefully considered and hopes to be in a position to make an announcement as to the location for the national Famine monument by the end of this year.