Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The genesis of all this is a Cabinet decision taken in June 2021 that the sites would transfer from the Shannon Group, which always has its eyes on aviation and what happens in the skies. In recent years, however, it has also run the heritage portfolio in the mid-west. That has probably been a distraction, and Covid has exposed that. Everyone in the region wants this to be a success, but what we have seen since that decision was taken by the Cabinet is that the Shannon Heritage sites have slowly been run into the ground. Last Sunday I visited the tearooms, which were iconic. So many American tourists went in there for their Irish coffee and slices of apple tart. The roof of the building is falling in. It is being repaired. The thatch is falling off. It is the same with the roof of the castle, which is 800 years old. The castle has withstood sieges, fires and storms but its roof is now at risk of falling in.

While the Minister of State's response is welcome, it strikes me that too many cooks spoil the broth. We have the OPW, the Departments of Transport and Public Expenditure and Reform, local government and heritage organisations. There is a lot going on here, and a lot of line Ministries seem to be passing the matter on. The net loser will be Clare County Council because, at the end of May, it will take over these sites and it looks like there will be no subvention money coming. We would like to know if there will be subvention coming.

See this speech in context