Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to address one of the unforeseen consequences of Covid-19 visiting our shores, which is the funding crisis for the restoration project of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. This is a national cathedral for the 400,000 strong members of the Church of Ireland. It is also an 800 year old national monument. Such is the cathedral's importance, its history and its place in Dublin and in Ireland that it attracts some 400,000 visitors to it and to its services annually. Managing that number of visitors would be a challenge in itself, but managing that number in such an historic setting and in such a historically sensitive building with some of the oldest roof timbers in Ireland, is a challenge.

A bigger challenge has been facing the cathedral since 2016 when a storm exposed the roof and two large holes appeared in the roof. Works that probably needed to happen long before then had to start and were undertaken by the dean, the administrators and the congregation. This is a huge project that will cost €9.1 million. The work started last year and the administrators have acknowledged the €200,000 grant the Department gave to the project. This funding is small, and dare I say paltry, given the importance of this building to the history of the city and of Ireland. It is a very delicate job and one cannot cut corners with it. We have seen with other restoration projects in Ireland how some costs can rise. As in Notre-Dame Cathedral, tragically, we can also see how these projects cannot be rushed, how care must be taken and a very delicate approach. One of the biggest scaffolding projects ever seen in the city has enclosed the whole cathedral currently, while at the same time allowing services and tourists to visit the cathedral.

Like the rest of Ireland, however, the problem is that the world stood still in March. The expected 3,000 to 4,000 visitors a day who would normally visit the cathedral have stopped coming and have not returned. This is when the donations dried up. This restoration project was to be self-funded by the church. It was not relying majorly on the State. While the cathedral administrators have acknowledged the €200,000 given by the State, they did not expect their funds and donations to dry up in such a severe way. They are seeking help to try to bridge the gap between what they expected to have at this stage and what the project needs to ensure the restoration continues in the two years remaining. I appeal to the Minister of State to put the hand into the pocket of the Government and to step up to the plate to help St. Patrick's Cathedral in its current dire need. I believe this historic building is of such importance to the city, for architecture and tourism that it needs intervention from the State to make sure the project can continue and that there is no delay in it.

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