Matt Carthy
Ceist:62. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagements she has had with her Cabinet colleagues regarding tourism in County Monaghan. [34731/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 13 July 2023
Ceisteanna (62)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
There was a second part to my question that did not make it onto the Question Paper, which was specifically about the Nuremore Hotel in Carrickmacross, which is and has been a crucial hub for tourism activity and generation. I would like the Minister also to reference that in her remarks.
I believe that part may have been disallowed but I will certainly come back to it. The importance of the tourism sector to the Irish economy and to communities in every corner of Ireland is well understood. Tourism is woven into the fabric of our Irish cultural and social life. As a proud Monaghan woman and a proud Carrickmacross woman born and bred, transplanted to Dublin, I am very conscious of the importance of the tourism sector, particularly throughout regions and I have and will continue to engage and advocate with my colleagues in government on tourism issues and on behalf of the tourism sector.
My Department's role in respect of tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy. Implementation of that policy is a matter for the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland primarily. There is continued valuable engagement between Fáilte Ireland, Monaghan County Council and other State bodies with the aim of ensuring that Monaghan’s tourism offering continues to develop. It is part of Ireland’s Ancient East, which was launched in 2015 as a mechanism to unify the region as an internationally marketable tourism destination. The Ireland’s Ancient East regional tourism development strategy 2023-27 is a roadmap for the tourism industry and all its stakeholders in the region to navigate the current challenges and steer a course towards recovery and future success. The plan sets out a strategic approach to unlocking the commercial potential of Ireland’s Ancient East. To activate the regional strategy, Fáilte Ireland has established the Monaghan destination experience development plan, which was developed through a consultative process involving tourism industry representatives, members of the local community and Monaghan County Council. Indeed, I was delighted to launch the that plan in June 2022 along with my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, in the lovely location of Castle Leslie.
County Monaghan, in my opinion, is Ireland’s best-kept secret. I may have a little bit of bias, like the Deputy. It is home to Lough Muckno, a world-class centre for angling and wakeboarding; Rossmore Forest Park; Carrickmacross Lace; Clones Lace; historic houses; and the drumlin-dotted landscape which inspired the poems of Patrick Kavanagh, who grew up up the road from me. Hopefully it will be the home of Sam Maguire if all things move in the right direction on Saturday. I am sure I will see Deputy Carthy there. These are just some of the reasons to come to Monaghan. The work ongoing by Fáilte Ireland and its local partners can only strengthen the tourism sector within the county and continue to attract visitors to this special place.
I am also pleased that my Department and its agencies are so supportive of cultural activity in Monaghan. This includes the support of the Arts Council and my Department for the operation of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, which plays such an important role in the cultural life of the island. In addition, last April my Department supported Féile Oriel, a three-day festival of traditional Irish music in Monaghan town. Under my Department’s small-scale local festivals funding scheme last year, there was support for the Muckno Mania Festival. I hope to announce the successful applicants under this year’s scheme shortly and anticipate that there will be further support for festivals in Monaghan in 2023.
I agree with the Minister entirely that County Monaghan has a huge amount to offer tourists. One of the things we cannot offer them on many occasions is a place to stay, because the most renowned residence for tourists, a place that was used by Jack Charlton and the Italia 90 team and is one of the most esteemed hotels in the region, is shut down.
The Minister is right. The question related to that was disallowed because it says that she has no official responsibility for the matter. I do not accept that. The Minister has responsibility for tourism. She is a member of the Cabinet. A Government scheme, the immigrant investor programme, facilitated the purchase of the hotel by people who essentially allowed it to stagnate. The scene at the hotel is tragic now. The grounds are overgrown. The doors are locked and the place is becoming more run down by the day. What are the Minister and the Government doing to undo the damage that was done by allowing this hotel to be sold to an entity that was not in a position to manage it effectively? What will they do to ensure that the Nuremore Hotel returns to be a fully functional commercial hotel without delay?
I am acutely aware of the important role the Nuremore Hotel and Country Club played as an economic driver and tourism amenity in Carrickmacross and surrounding areas throughout the years. The closure of this hotel is a huge loss to the area. While the tourism sector is rebounding strongly post Covid, I am also always concerned to hear of any such closures. The loss of jobs in that hotel and the wider downstream impacts on other businesses in the area are of huge concern. However, it is a commercial property for which orders winding up the company have been made by the High Court, and a liquidator has been appointed by the High Court to handle all matters in relation to the liquidation. While I hope to see the property back in operation as a going tourism business, it just would not be appropriate for me, my Department, or Fáilte Ireland to intervene in the matter. Deputy Carthy may wish that could happen, but I must be cognisant of what is appropriate for me in my role. It simply would not be appropriate for me to intervene.
If a hotel of this scale and esteem was opening, people would be hard-pressed to stay standing in the stampede of Government Ministers who would be running to cut the ribbon on it. The Government can intervene and take credit when facilities are opening, private or otherwise, but when there are problems that are caused by a Government scheme, all of a sudden we are told the Government cannot intervene.
This is a crucial economic project for the region that has been denied to the people of Carrickmacross, south Monaghan and the wider region. It is having profound implications for our ability to attract tourism. All of the very good initiatives that the Minister outlined will count for nought if we have no place for people to stay when they come to Carrickmacross. We had a top-class facility for conferences, concerts and engagements of all descriptions, and we had a place where people could stay in the most salubrious of locations with brilliant views and great access to golfing and the other amenities that south Monaghan has to offer. That has been taken away from the people of Carrickmacross and now there are major concerns about what the future of that hotel premises will look like. It is imperative that the Government takes an active, hands-on approach to this issue. I appeal to the Minister to take a hands-on approach to ensure that this hotel returns to being a fully functional top-class tourism and economic driver for our region.
I would love to see that happen. I really hope it does, because as a woman who grew up on the Dundalk Road in Carrickmacross, the Nuremore Hotel is so close to there, so I am aware of the value of this hotel to the community. I saw that a few weeks ago when I went home for the annual occasion on the Dundalk Road. Many of the people who return home used to go to that hotel on the first Sunday of every July, and it was closed. People were devastated to see it in disrepair. But it is a commercial property and orders to wind up the company have been made by the High Court and a liquidator has been appointed by the High Court to handle all the matters in relation to the liquidation. While I hope to see the property come back into operation as a going tourism business concern, unfortunately, it is just not appropriate for me, my Department or Fáilte Ireland to intervene.