Mr. Finbarr Cole:

To return to the visitor numbers for which the Senator was asking, we have been looking at the numbers coming in since 2017. Up to 2017, we had approximately 12,000 visitors. They were mainly Irish. There has been a steady increase over the intervening years. We have also seen more visitors from Europe. Visitors from North America are very attracted to us because they believe the sinking of the Lusitaniawas one of the main reasons the United States entered the First World War. Over the past two years, our visitor numbers have increased from 1,600 to almost 5,000 this year. They are coming from all parts of the world. As I said, in 2017 visitors were mainly coming from Ireland, England and mainland Europe, with the occasional American. They are now coming from Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. They all have an Irish connection. They are coming back to visit relatives and friends. The Wild Atlantic Way is also bringing many visitors in our direction. Kinsale is a visitor destination and we are only a ten-minute drive from Kinsale. The word is getting out in Kinsale and it is bringing people out just that little bit further to take in the scenery and to be amazed at what we have to show the visitor in respect of the history of the Lusitania. We are also on Facebook and TripAdvisor and make use of the usual local advertising methods. TripAdvisor has a big impact for us because many people do some research before they start moving.

I take the Senator's point, we need to get more media attention but this is definitely a work in progress. More than anything, what we need from the committee is goodwill in helping to promote us. That is where I am coming from. We need to promote it and get the word out about it. If the Senator can help in that in any way, she should come and visit me. We will have a chat and take it from there.