Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Nov 2000

Vol. 527 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Architectural Heritage.

Mr. McGinley

On Sunday, 5 November, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Deputy de Valera, announced details of expenditure on heritage projects under the national development plan costing £100 million.

According to the Minister's statement work will be carried out on 15 major centres throughout the country but it is unbelievable that not one of the designated major projects is located north of a Dublin-Galway line. How can a Minister or, indeed, anyone justify such a serious omission, leaving virtually half of the country overlooked and ignored? There are numerous archaeological and heritage sites along with many historic buildings in the northern half of the country that would qualify for consideration.

There is one such building in Donegal, namely, Doe Castle that is the subject of this debate. Doe Castle is located in one of the most spectacular locations in Donegal, near Creeslough on the banks of deep Sheephaven Bay. The castle is steeped in history and has for many centuries been the seat of the MacSweeney Clan or Clann tSuibhne. Many of the Princes of Donegal were fostered there as far back as the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th century, Eoghan Rua O'Neill arrived there with Spanish veterans and swept through Ulster. The castle also provided shelter and sustenance for the survivors of the Spanish Armada.

Unfortunately, and regrettably, it has fallen into disrepair in recent times. Nevertheless, it attracts approximately 5,000 visitors a month during the summer season. People from many parts of the world to visit this most historic site and building.

In recent years the heritage section of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands has undertaken a major programme of works at Doe Castle, which, when complete, will see the restoration of the Tower House. These works will conserve the medieval remains of the structure but, more importantly, this work has provided sheltered sanctuary for the priceless ancient MacSweeney of Doe tomb slab.

Since 1997 the Sweeney Clan organisation took a keen interest in the restoration of the castle. Various meetings with Dúchas officials have conveyed the Sweeney Clan views on the future development of Doe Castle and Dúchas has so far expended a considerable sum of money on the Tower House, with the sole purpose of providing a safe keep for the invaluable Sweeney tomb slab. The Minister has already indicated to me in a letter that at this stage there are no plans to undertake further works at the site. The re-roofing of the Great Hall at the castle must be a priority. This is absolutely essential to accommodate the extra visitors during guided tours. The castle will not reach its full potential unless the Great Hall is re-roofed. We would not get a proper return on money already spent. I am reliably informed that a sum of £200,000 would be sufficient to complete the re-roofing project and bring the main part of the castle back to its former glory so that it can assume its rightful place in the heritage of County Donegal. The Sweeney Clan have on a voluntary basis provided tourist reception at the castle over the past four years and have recorded visitors from every continent. This indicates the potential of Doe Castle as a massive tourist attraction to Donegal and the north west.

When the castle is completed it could also serve as a centre for the arts in the county. It could accommodate banquets such as are held in Bunratty. It would be an ideal venue for business and video conferencing. To leave Doe Castle at the end of the present phase of what we all must admire as a fine piece of restoration work by the craftsmen of Dúchas would be an injustice to those very same craftsmen and architects who have done such a splendid job. Let us complete the job properly, particularly as there is only a small sum required to make Doe Castle once more a real living castle. Future generations will surely be grateful that in the year 2000 a Government Department really cared about the heritage of its citizens. I appeal to the Minister to allocate the additional funding from the £100 million announced by her on 5 November last and bring Doe Castle back to its former glory.

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the programme of restoration works that have taken place to date at Doe Castle. To fully understand the reasons behind the works scheduled at Doe, I will briefly refer to the history of the castle.

It is a four storey Tower House, built early in the 16th century in Sheephaven Bay by the MacSweeney and foster father of Red Hugh O'Donnell. Over the next two centuries the MacSweeneys lost and regained the castle a number of times. Some time in the late 18th century the castle came into the possession of George Vaughan Harte whose initials and coat of arms can be found above the entrance. His descendants occupied the castle for about a century and during that period they carried out extensive works and repairs to it. The Harte family moved to Kilderry near Muff in 1864 and the estate was purchased by Stewart of Ards, who subsequently let it to various tenants before it was finally abandoned in 1890 and left to fall into ruin. It was bought by the Irish Land Commission in 1932 and vested in the Office of Public Works in July 1934.

In 1996 Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, undertook to carry out an extensive programme of conservation works. This entailed a major restoration of the medieval tower house, which was seen as the primary structure associated with the castle, and the conservation of the MacSweeney grave slab. This grave slab, a unique feature associated with Doe Castle is highly decorated. It is possibly dated from around 1544 and is carved with an elaborate eight pointed cross and also depicts various animals. Because of the very elaborate carvings, it is believed to have marked the grave of one of the 16th century MacSweeneys. This slab was found damaged in the nearby Ballymacsweeney graveyard and was brought into the castle for protection in 1968. It was repaired and mounted on the wall of the castle but over a period of time it deteriorated as a result of both weathering and the actions of souvenir hunters. Specialist conservation work has been carried out to the grave slab and it will be replaced in the Tower House when it is fully restored. This will allow it to be displayed in an appropriate manner. A replica of this grave slab has been commissioned and placed in the graveyard at Ballymacsweeney.

Completed work to date includes the re-roofing of the medieval tower with Irish oak and stone slates. Three oak floors have been fitted, together with an oak stairs, which will allow access to the second floor. Lighting has also been installed. Dúchas staff are continuing work on the outside walls of the tower. The poor condition of the masonry requires the dismantling of some sections prior to re-building. Scaffolding has been erected around the Tower House, which allows for all sections of the tower to be examined carefully to ensure that a complete and comprehensive conservation of the walls is achieved. Staff are currently preparing the tower house for plastering in the spring of 2001. I am conscious that this work is taking a long time but I am sure the Deputy will appreciate this is unavoidable given that only experienced personnel can carry out the delicate and specialist nature of the work involved. The Deputy will be aware that these works have required considerable expenditure over the past five years. In this context, approximately £400,000 has been spent to date. Additional funds estimated at £200,000 have been designated for the completion of these works by early 2002. As I mentioned earlier, our primary aim with regard to Doe Castle was to conserve the medieval remains of the structure. This will have been achieved when the works on the tower house are completed.

The Deputy will appreciate that over several years I have allocated considerable resources to the Donegal region, which will add to and enhance considerably to the county's tourism potential. As well as funding for Doe Castle, considerable resources were allocated to projects such as the restoration of Donegal Castle and to Newmills Corn and Flax Mills. With regard to Donegal Castle, I have again committed further resources under the national development plan for the addition of toilet facilities, which will enhance and complete the visitor facilities at the castle. I am sure the Deputy appreciates that all these works have contributed significantly to the tourism potential of the Donegal region.

My Department has many demands on its limited resources and, given the level of expenditure in the Donegal region in recent years, the additional funding needed to fully restore Doe Castle cannot be justified at this time.

The Dáil adjourned at 21.40 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 30 November 2000.