Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have asked all the national cultural institutions to get involved and to provide and support programmes, and that alone would create a considerable amount of activity. As regards my support, the people of Limerick are very much aware of that. This was my idea, I suppose, and I must ensure it works. If that includes making a commitment for finance then that is what will happen, but I cannot yet give a definite amount because we must wait for the deliberations on the Estimates.

I go back to what I stated originally. This is about more than money; it is about pride. It is about buy-in. Limerick must seize this opportunity to brand itself in a positive way, capitalising on its rich culture, of which I am very much aware because I live so close to Limerick - just down the road along the Shannon Estuary in Listowel. There is much more to this than the amount of money or the budget they will get, and the people of Limerick realise that as well. I ask everyone to be positive about this and support it. Certainly, to date I have heard of no annoyance down there because of funding.

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