Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

As a former Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, the Minister has first hand experience. What is the possibility of having many of these facilities opened throughout the year and not just on a seasonal basis? Tourism does not start on 17 March and finish in September or October. It is critical to have all the available facilities open throughout the year, not only for visitors coming from abroad but also to help develop our own sector.

On the heritage side of things, much work has been done by the OPW under various Governments throughout the years in developing facilities like Kilmainham, Newgrange and so forth. There are many others, including in my part of the country, the historic capital of Connacht, that have not been utilised and developed to their full potential. What is the feasibility of these? While I understand the difficult financial circumstances, if we are going to develop new products, there is huge potential in regard to heritage sites that have not been fully developed and made available to the public.

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