Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I thank Mr. Doyle.

I will move to the OPW. I am going to speak about a specific location and I appreciate that the witnesses may not be fully up to speed on the matter. Most of the heritage sites and locations are high-profile locations right across the country. On the islands in Lough Ree, we have a number of very significant sites. I will speak specifically to Inchcleraun, an old monastic settlement in the heart of Lough Ree. It is not a million miles from where I grew up. There are a number of landowners, probably no more than two or three, who still have rights on the island. There is some concern about some vandalism to the structures on the site, and some of those structures are 800 or 900 years old. There is an element of camping there as well, which probably is not appropriate.

In the context of OPW's focus, what is the position regard the islands of Lough Ree? Who looks after them? Is there a dedicated team within the OPW for such work or is it just added to somebody's duties? If a landowner wanted to work in conjunction with the OPW and look to turn back the clock by introducing native rare breed cattle to the island, such as there may have been on the island 400 or 500 years ago, is there an opportunity for the landowner to work with the office to safeguard and enhance an obvious visitor experience at the location?