Mr. Paul Kelly:

I will first deal with the issue of cancelled festivals. My heart goes out to all those involved with the Galway - European Capital of Culture 2020 project. It was a fantastic opportunity and a great programme of work was devised, which was subsequently decimated by the impact of Covid-19. We provided a great deal of support to festivals this year to help them to survive. Festivals take a long time to plan and a significant amount of work goes into them, and it is more important that festivals survive so that they can return when they are permitted to do so. While we do not envisage that festivals are going to happen in the first half of 2021 in the way they normally would, we will be giving them some level of funding. The funding will be reduced, but it will help them to survive into the future. We need to look at the situation in the second half of 2021 and how things are developing as to whether festivals can happen. Perhaps Mr. Gibbons might comment on the international marketing of these festivals.

On the points the Chair raised about Cavan-Monaghan, I can confirm that the west part of County Cavan is in the Hidden Heartlands and the eastern part is in Ireland's Ancient East, as is Monaghan. The opportunity that that brings for the area is very much on our radar. Unfortunately the work to make Monaghan town a destination town will not be completed next year, but hopefully it will be completed in the first half of 2022, and we will have enhanced the offering of Monaghan town as a tourism destination. We are working with the local authority in Cavan on the Hidden Heartlands concept, and the opportunities it provides, including linking in with Fermanagh to promote the Cavan lakes and the Marble Arch Caves area, which is something that we think can be developed.

The Beara Breifne Way will be a big addition when we can bring it to life. It is effectively a continuous walk from Blacklion down to the Beara Peninsula. Cavan will be at one end of the way, so it will provide an opportunity to drive tourism growth as either a start or finish point on that walk.