Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Monuments.

John McGuinness

Ceist:

634 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if the castle at Maudlin Street, Kilkenny will be reroofed and opened to the public; if a local use for the building will be considered; if she will agree to fund such a project in partnership with local interests or the local authority; her views on the fact that such uses would make these sites more important within the local community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26477/01]

There are no funds provided for the reroofing of Magdalen Castle, at Maudlin Street, Kilkenny, under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 and there are no plans for this work or for considering the castle's use as a museum as suggested by the Deputy. Such a project would, in the first instance, require an initiative from the local authority, which would then require the approval of the National Museum of Ireland. While I support the principle of making historic monuments available for local community use, I advise the Deputy that in most cases such monuments are not readily adaptable for modern use.

John McGuinness

Ceist:

635 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if all work is now completed at Gowran Castle, County Kilkenny; if a date is now set to open the monument to tourists; the number of guides who will be employed at the site; and if the appointments have been made. [26478/01]

Gowran Castle is not in my care but I assume the Deputy is referring to St. Mary's Church, Gowran. The work on St. Mary's Church is substantially complete and the site is due to open for visitors in time for the main tourist season next summer. A guide service is envisaged for the site but the number of guides deployed will need to be considered in the context of the overall guide requirements for the some 70 sites with a full guide service run by my Department.

Barr
Roinn