Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What the Minister of State said in regard to the process of application differs somewhat from the published criteria. The Minister of State said that applications must be made in conjunction with a local authority, but under the published criteria, any group can put forward a proposal. If one was a lip-smacking lawyer looking to judicially review a process, the Minister of State has given fertile grounds just now. One cannot publish one set of criteria and then apply a different set of criteria, which seems to be case.

The Minister of State clearly said that he anticipates certain applications, but does not anticipate others. Is this a done deal? As I said of the early monastic sites, I readily acknowledge Clonmacnoise would be universally accepted to be the most important. Glendalough is a beautiful place, as is Holy Island, but neither of them is quite Clonmacnoise. The big difference is that Glendalough is situated in the constituency of two Cabinet Ministers and Inis Cealtra is not situate in the constituency of a Cabinet Minister. That, of course, should not be anywhere near the criteria. It should be based on universal criteria and universal values. This is about protecting sites of universal importance.

The French political scientist Olivier Roy spoke about a European civilisation. Former President Clinton, who addressed this House, not in this particular building but in another that we might some day go back to, spoke about Ireland's role in saving civilisation. A book was written about it that may or may not be historically accurate. It is generally accepted that Irish monks and the network of monasteries came out of Ireland - I refer to O'Clery's work in the 16th and 17th centuries, The Twelve Apostles of Irelandwhich, again may not be historically accurate - and the idea of the re-evangelisation of Europe from Ireland at the time of Charlemagne is of universal significance. There are monasteries, including two in Clare, Inis Cathaigh and Inis Cealtra.

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