James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue of the future of Desmond Castle in Kinsale, a beautiful town I have visited on a number of occasions. His passion for the heritage and culture of that part of County Cork is well known. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy O'Donovan.

Desmond Castle in Kinsale, which is also known as the French Prison, is one of more than 700 national monuments throughout the country that are conserved, maintained and managed by the OPW. As the Deputy will be aware, the castle is closed at the moment for conservation works and has not been accessible to the public since the end of 2017. When it was open for visitors, it operated as a town centre seasonal site during the summer months and was managed by OPW staff in conjunction with the other major national monument site in Kinsale, namely, Charlesfort. The latter attracts approximately 100,000 visitors each year, so the importance of these locations to the local community and economy is well recognised.

Desmond Castle was built by the Earl of Desmond around the year 1500 and is a fine example of an urban tower house, with a three-storey keep and storehouses to the rear. It has had many uses over the years. It was originally built as a customs house to meet the international trade coming into Kinsale by sea. It served as a prison for some time in the 18th century and was an ordnance store supplying the local English garrison in Charlesfort during the Battle of Kinsale of 1601. It then served as a local workhouse during the Great Famine of the mid-1840s. By the early decades of the 20th century, however, the castle had fallen into decay, before it was taken over by the then Commissioners of Public Works and declared a national monument in 1938. The varied nature of its history has to some degree caused confusion about the site and why it is noteworthy. In recent times, the castle was home to an historic wine collection, and while this was an interesting exhibition and linked in to Kinsale's reputation as a food tourism location, it did not really work to copper-fasten a strong, historic context and theme for the castle.

The site is currently closed because extensive conservation works are required and the castle was considered a risk to visitors if kept open. Due to water penetration issues, the building requires a full programme of fabric repair and refurbishment works. Several surveys have been completed on the building, including a mechanical, electrical and digital survey and a full building fabric report. The works needed to deal with the water penetration issues have also been identified. This is a multi-phased and complex repair project and the OPW is now seeking to appoint an external conservation architect for the entire repair and refurbishment programme, from preliminary design to handover. Scoping documents are being prepared for the procurement and appointment of the external conservation architect. An interpretation consultant will also be brought on board to undertake the design of the public interface when all conservation works have been completed. Given the castle is a national monument, the consent of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be required for all repair and conservation works.

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