Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that positive update. I welcome the fact that the OPW is taking care of the structural repairs on King John's Castle. I welcome the fact that it is formally coming under the guardianship of Limerick City and County Council. As the Minister of State is aware, Limerick City and County Council had Grant Thornton prepare a funding gap report which she referenced. I very much welcome that detailed discussions are taking place, spearheaded by her Department, involving the Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. This has to happen. I pay tribute to Limerick City and County Council which has been proactive on this. It has put €500,000 of its money into a company, Discover Limerick, which is 100% owned within Limerick City and County Council, to ensure this transition can take place from next Monday, 4 April.

What we now want is to ensure that arrangements are put in place to bridge whatever funding gap is there for the first three years. I welcome the Minister of State's assurances in that regard. I know there are ongoing discussions. These are constructive discussions. My role here today is to ensure that momentum continues. I want to see that King John's Castle can now grow further. There were 111,000 people coming through the gates annually, which is a huge number. I think that is only the start. The fact that we now have an opportunity and Limerick City and County Council is preparing, through Discover Limerick, a strategic plan for growing tourism in Limerick city involving King John's Castle is something I very much welcome. I look forward to a conclusion of the discussions so that we have absolute certainty. Finally, I compliment the 14 staff. I know them, they are excellent, and they will bring a wealth of experience to Limerick City and County Council about King John's Castle.

See this speech in context