Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As stated earlier, and I do not want to be repetitive, it is vital that we do not do harm to existing and fledgeling businesses. We must also avoid doing harm to proposed businesses, one of which I will name. In my town of Clonmel, what used to be Bulmers - the drink is still called "Bulmers" - is now owned by C&C and the latter has a huge vacant property in Dowd's Lane. I remember, as a buachaill óg, going to Dowd's Lane with the apples my brothers and sisters and I had been involved in picking. The apples were transported there by a tractor and trailer. Then, in weather such as today's, although a bit later, normally, in October, with the frost and cutting of the apples and the fermenting process, one would get the smell wafting up the town. One would know about it. People would not need signage to find the Bulmers factory because the wonderful smell of apples being crushed to guide them. It was an aroma that people grew up with and loved. It became part of the heritage of An Cluain Meala, the vale of honey. That building, unfortunately, has been in disuse. However, we launched the Applefest - a new festival that we have to commemorate the cider industry in Clonmel - about a month ago and it is opening on Saturday evening, and we succeeded in getting part of that building open to show the public, especially the daoine óga who do not remember it, the big vats that are still there. That will be part of the Applefest, which is a two-day festival for the weekend in Clonmel, trying to extend the tourist season. We have groups there. The Leader company has supported this and so have other groups, and the private sector, such as Con Traas's Apple Farm, which is a wonderful farm that many people know of, and other producers. We have LongWays Cider Company in Carrick-on-Suir as well.

We hope to develop the centre of Clonmel and many other towns. We are seeking more schemes in the budget for the rejuvenation of our rural towns. This is an integral part of it. This building is falling down. We are dealing with tough cookies in C&C. They do not have a great commitment to the heritage of the town. They are about pounds, shillings and pence, or rather euro and dollars. They lost their shirts in America and have lost badly in England, but the Bulmers plant is very profitable in recent years thanks to the workforce which has taken huge cuts and seen great changes to keep it. We have been promised €500,000 from C&C - live, horse, and you'll get grass - to do this tourist trail of the industry's heritage. There may be some employment for people as tour guides. This heritage centre connects to the back of the town hall and down a narrow street. A visitor can go on down to the bottom of the town and then down to the Bulmers plant on the Waterford road.

Countless hours, weeks and months of work have gone into it by enthusiastic people who are interested in history and our heritage. We salute them. It is so important that we do not pass some legislation here that would damage this or stop it in its tracks. We do not have the live crushing of the apples and the scent and aroma which many people loved. We got used to it. We know what stewing apples is like in a kitchen or inside here in the Dáil canteen, but that happened on a massive scale. The aroma would make one's mouth water.

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