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

I can certainly appreciate issues of access but within Lough Ree we have a real treasure trove. I mentioned Inchcleraun; we also have Saint's Island and Quaker Island. Many of these sites date back to the earliest Christian times. There has clearly a large uptake in boating and I am thankful that people are much more appreciative of our waterways. People are getting out to them much more. There is a timely opportunity for us to try to do something now with these sites. They have been very much a forgotten part of our heritage portfolio because not many people are familiar with them unless they are from the area.

It is interesting to hear Mr. Moore say this falls under the remit of the part of the office dealing with the western region. It clearly has a significant body of work to do as well. With the islands in Lough Ree and other inland islands, is there an opportunity for a dedicated small team of perhaps two to three people to deal with this as a project and safeguard these sites of intrinsic value before they deteriorate further? Such a team could, where possible, work with local landowners who want to come forward with projects.