Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the role the structure at risk fund in particular has played in villages and towns such as Castledermot, Kilcullen and Kildare town in addressing significant deficits. The heritage officers work closely with the local community groups, and the scheme has been very successful, which shows the value of putting in money and investment.

On the Department engaging with heritage professionals in every county, they are key stakeholders and if they have not been consulted, they should be part of the public consultation process or a consultation process of their own. The small built heritage and cultural heritage projects are great, but it will be hard in 2030 to identify how successful the plan will have been because of all the small schemes. It is really important that consideration be given to undertaking some large-scale flagship projects. An example I can think of in County Kildare is the Curragh Plains, a 5,000 acre expanse of land that covers everything in the built heritage and the cultural heritage. It is an outwash where St. Brigid threw her cloak and, from the Race of the Black Pig to Donnelly's Hollow to the Little Curragh, there are so many stories. It is an area of which we are extremely proud in County Kildare and many Kildare people use it for recreational purposes. It is a huge tourist attraction, but it is not well managed. We need an active conservation and management plan. It is of key importance to incorporate such a flagship project in Heritage Ireland 2030.

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