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

Good. I am satisfied with that response.

I listened with interest to the comments about how important it was that everyone in our communities be involved, including farmers. I am particularly interested in Dr. Bleasdale’s work and I applaud his efforts to date. We do not have a Conor Pass in Longford, but we do have an Inchcleraun, an historic island in the middle of Lough Ree.

Some of the witnesses may be familiar with it. It is a monastic settlement dating back to 560 AD. Queen Medb was killed there. It is disputed whether she was hit with a stone or a piece of cheese. I think it is safe to say it was a stone thrown from the Elfeet side of the lake.

There are two landowners on the island. Herbert Farrell is one; the other lives in the UK. Herbert Farrell has done a very ambitious farm plan. I would have told him he is stone mad to have done it because he has to engage with the NPWS, the Department of agriculture, Waterways Ireland, the National Monuments Service and the OPW. It is a bit like west Belfast in the 1970s. He is dealing with an awful lot of agencies there. I have to acknowledge the work and efforts of the Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan, and his officials, who worked with Herbert Farrell to the point that he has a successful farm plan in place. However, he is not able to advance it beyond where he is at the moment. He has not been able to access any of his payments, and it seems to be at a point where he cannot do anything on his piece of ground without engaging the services of an archaeologist, which is obviously very expensive. Yet in recent weeks the OPW has been able to come onto the island and move stones, which Herbert Farrell would not have been able to do on his land without an archaeologist. Also, our local wildlife ranger has worked very closely with him on this project and has been hugely supportive, but I need someone with significant muscle within the NPWS to meet with this farmer and help him engage with this multi-agnecy crew with which he is confronted. I hope Dr. Bleasdale might be able to undertake to meet with the farmer or give me a point of contact who will discuss it with him and try to help him through this myriad of issues he has to deal with. It is a very wholesome project and it would be great to see it. The island is in a state of distress. The farmer wants to return it to organic farming. It is also one of, I think, only two locations where we have an indigenous Lough Ree goat herd still in its wild environs, so it is important we protect it.