Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the commitment that there will be decisions next month. Cavan County Council did excellent work in preparing this application. Councillor John Paul Feeley has strongly advocated for the development of such facilities and I am glad to have supported his work on this project. The overall cost of the project is €6.6 million, with the council providing €1.7 million of that cost. This discovery interpretative centre will promote history and culture and, notably, the importance of the River Shannon, the country's longest river at 360 km. Visitor displays, walking trails through the forest and a major viewing point will all dovetail very well with the amenities developed already as part of Cavan Burren Park. The tourism master plan for the Shannon from 2020 to 2030 identifies this particular region as needing tourism infrastructure investment. The source of the River Shannon, a river that is central to so much of our national tourism industry, needs this amenity. I sincerely hope the Minister will be able to speak to the officials in Fáilte Ireland who are assessing the application about its merits and the need for such investment in this part of the hidden heartlands of Ireland.

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