John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My compliments to all of the staff. I visit many of the sites, especially Kilkenny Castle, and they do an excellent job. There is no doubt about that. Walking into these places, you hear the different languages being spoken, and the tourism season gets continually extended.

I have an unusual request which I would like the Minister of State to consider. I could have written about it but I decided to ask him here because it might cut a lot of the correspondence short. "Pangur Bán" is an old Irish poem written about the 9th century. I googled it just to be absolutely clear about it. It is now being kept in Germany but a lady from Kilkenny, Ms Rosaleen Crotty, who has connections to the Minister of State's party that go back over the years, is anxious that that book from the 9th century be brought to Ireland for a period to be put on display. Is that something the OPW would consider? The keepers of the book are quite happy to engage with the authorities here to make the book available. I am sure those in academia and involved in other studies of history would like to see it. Would the OPW engage with the authorities on the other side where we have direct contact and where verbal permission has been given in terms of the project itself? Could it then be made available through Kilkenny Castle or the universities for a period of time?