Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to comment on a couple of points Ms Heaney made about learning from our history and planning for our future. They were very apt words. Over the summer months, I did a day trip to Dublin with my kids. We visited Dublin Zoo and Collins Barracks and I thought it was very interesting, not just for them but for me. We, as parents, people in the education system and the Oireachtas have a responsibility to inform our youth of our history, especially the period of the War of Independence and the Civil War. This is not taught enough in schools. School tours needs to be promoted more. Students should go into our museums and learn our history. Perhaps it should be a yearly event that the school would visit its local museum, the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin or wherever. That is something that needs to be pushed more and perhaps the Department of Education should be advocating that.

Ms Heaney mentioned meeting during the summer. She knows I am a strong advocate of the whole mid-Shannon wilderness park project for the boglands and the midlands and the interpretation of that and telling that story.

Naturally enough, I am biased. I am from Longford and I hope that happens in my county and that we will see the benefits of it.

Does Ms Heaney, as chairman of the National Museum of Ireland, she see any opportunities for the museum to expand in the future? She highlighted an issue with storage whereby the lease is running out. Now is the time to have the conversation in order to have that sorted out years in advance. Does Ms Heaney see opportunities to grow the museum and expand it throughout the country? The Vice Chairman mentioned the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life in Castlebar.