John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My final point is about Kilkenny Castle. I mentioned to the Minister of State and his officials prior to the meeting about the possibility that the OPW would take a lead role in a project which I will outline. It is the desire of Kilkenny people that we would acknowledge the hand-over of the castle, which has made such a significant difference to Kilkenny city, county, the region and the country as a whole, from the Butler family to the castle restoration committee, most of whom are now dead but there is one surviving member. That is part of the history of the castle. Perhaps as part of the presentation of that more recent history some arrangement could be made to explain the delivery of the castle, as it were, to the State. It was given for a nominal sum of money, possibly £5, but it has made such a difference to the city and county that the OPW should take the initiative and honour those who were involved and the fact that the transaction took place in such a reasonable way for such a major piece of land. Séamus Pattison, a former Ceann Comhairle, often reminded me that in the course of the 1960s the Heinz company was going to apply to the local authority for a factory on the castle site. Thank God that did not happen because it is worth substantially more to the city than a factory would have been. I thank the Minister of State for his involvement in Kilkenny Castle.