Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 May 2018
70. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the details of the plans contained within the Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018-2027 plan for caring for Ireland’s national monuments, including Clonmacnoise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19913/18]
View answerIreland has thousands of unique archaeological monuments which represent over 7,000 years of settlement on this island. They are in every locality and community and provide tangible links to our ancient past, a sense of place for communities and focal points for social enjoyment and economic regeneration. There are over 1000 national monuments in my care, as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. In recent years investment in these sites has necessarily been confined for the most part to conservation and maintenance works by the Office of Public Works which is responsible for managing them on a day- to-day basis.
To enhance the preservation and presentation of our heritage estate for the future, the Government will over the course of the National Development Plan 2018 – 2027 invest €30 million in our national monument sites. My Department will work closely with the Office of Public Works to ensure that these sites are conserved and presented to the highest quality. Where feasible, additional sites and monuments will also be acquired and public access improved. The quality of the visitor facilities will be improved throughout, including enhanced animation of the sites, improvements to interpretation facilities and upgrades to the visitor infrastructure at all of our primary national monument sites.
Through my Department’s strategic partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Office of Public we will strengthen the care of our key heritage sites across Ireland’s ancient east, the wild Atlantic way and Ireland’s hidden heartlands. Key projects include the planned improvement works at Brú na Bóinne, Tara, Céide Fields, Skellig Michael, Valentia Cable Station, the Rock of Cashel and other key monastic, armada and medieval sites. In the case of Clonmacnoise, the capacity of the facilities, in particular carparking, is currently being looked at by the Office of Public Works.
In addition to making our archaeological heritage more open and enjoyable to everyone, the increased funding now being made available will also directly support new employment in the heritage, conservation and archaeological sectors.
