Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I feel a little inadequate raising an issue of this nature in the immediate aftermath of a discussion on a fodder crisis and animal welfare. However, I agree with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that heritage and cultural issues need to be at the heart of the national recovery we are working towards. Perhaps on that basis I should not feel so unhappy about raising the issue of the Croppies Acre. It is a well known site in central Dublin close to the National Museum at Collins Barracks, Heuston Station and a Luas stop. In 2011, significant moneys were expended by the Office for Public Works, OPW, renovating the site. There was controversy when it was proposed that the site be developed as a bus and car park for the National Museum, which would have been a travesty. At the time, between €35,000 and €40,000 of public money was expended on developing and preserving this unique site, which houses the burial place of many members of the 1798 Rebellion. Matthew Tone and Bartholomew Teeling - I do not know if he is related to the owner of the Teeling Whiskey Company - are reputed to be buried there.

The grounds have been misused by a tiny section of the public. Syringes and other drugs paraphernalia have been found there and anti-social behaviour is an issue. People are climbing over the walls to enter the grounds to drink and it is no longer open to the public as a result. This national monument has been closed by OPW officials because they do not have available to them the small amount required to keep this site clean in order that it can be safely accessed by the public.

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, who is standing in for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Can priority be given to dealing with this relatively minor issue in order that the site can be reopened to Dubliners and the people of the country as a whole? It is an issue that is well capable of being solved by the Government.

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