Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. One of the joys of being here is being dragged from pillar to post. I have not read all of the opening statements but I heard some of the comments made. I have dealt with the OPW, the Heritage Council and other bodies over the last number of years in regard to some high-profile sites. I will not dwell on Moore Street today, so they need not worry. That is a battle for another day and it is before An Bord Pleanála at the moment.

I was interested in what Deputy Cian O'Callaghan said about the contexts of national monuments, and it is not just that historic landscapes are threatened by climate change but also by human activity, as they have always been threatened. There are periods in our history and society where it is not just the farmer but also the State that has destroyed some of our monuments, or at least the context in which those monuments exist.

There is the question of what happens in the event of the destruction of a monument. Is it appropriate to reinstate or restore them? I know that, for example, with certain architectural buildings in the city, people have been forced to rebuild them as was, and Archer’s Garage would be an example. What happens to a monument that has been destroyed, for example, a ring fort? Do we have the powers or is it desirable to reinstate a ring fort which a builder or farmer, either purposely or unbeknownst to themselves, has interfered with or destroyed?

In the previous session, it was mentioned that there are 130,000 national monuments, which is a huge number, and most of them are undiscovered or unavailable to the public. If we take it there are 1,000 in the care of the OPW, how many are in the care of local authorities? I presume the rest are on lands belonging to individuals who try to care for them as much as they can, despite the challenge that poses. If we designate sites as national monuments, does that involve an additional liability in terms of insurance, given there is a duty to care for, preserve and protect a national monument? If people declare they have a fothrach or a ruin on their land, whether it might be prehistoric, pre-Christian or of whatever designation, they have a duty to protect it. Climate change was mentioned but there is also the point that something like animal movement can dislodge a brick. We are facing into a storm in the morning. Is there a liability on the owner of a national monument, which in many cases is not the State, if something happens to it? Do they have to restore it or fix it up? Do they have to spend money? That is one of the big challenges. I believe many in the farming community in particular are loath to take on the onerous task of protecting monuments.

They would love to have that duty but it can be an onerous task.

I can come back to anything else. I hope our guests will be able to answer some of those for me.