Dáil debates

Tuesday, 15 November 2022

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Office of Public Works

9:00 pm

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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82. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on efforts made by the Office of Public Works to identify a site for a visitor and interpretative centre in Cashel, County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56757/22]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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I ask for an update on efforts to identify a site for a visitor and interpretative centre at Cashel. Discussions, consultations and appraisals have been ongoing for years and we have been going around in circles with no conclusions. We have too many agencies around the table. We need someone to get a hold of this, give direction and make it happen.

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Historically, over many decades, the Office of Public Works, OPW, has held a statutory remit for the care and conservation of Ireland’s heritage estate. In tandem with this statutory role, the OPW has a mandate to engage in the presentation to the public of heritage sites entrusted to its care. The increasing popularity of heritage sites with visitors, to a point where it is estimated that visits to Irish heritage sites number in excess of 20 million annually, is highly encouraging and represents a strong endorsement of the success of this approach.

The OPW has a strategic partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to spur investment in the heritage estate to increase standards of interpretation and visitor experience and support local tourism economies. Cashel has featured as a site of focus since the earliest days of this partnership.

The Rock of Cashel is one of six sites making up the Royal Sites of Ireland, which were placed on the UNESCO tentative list for world heritage in July 2022. The OPW is entrusted with the care of the complex of five national monuments situated on the Rock of Cashel. In 1975, the hall of the vicar's choral was re-roofed and restored, part financed by the European Regional Development Fund. In the early 2000s, a major conservation project started on Cormac’s Chapel, which is not only one of the most significant early Romanesque buildings in the country but also contains fragments of an immensely important scheme of wall paintings. There is a continuous conservational ethos with all the buildings on-site.

I am encouraged to note there has been a strong recovery in visitor numbers to the Rock of Cashel post pandemic. In 2019, there were 272,498 visitors. Between January and August 2022, there were 210,154 visitors to the site, which places it in a strong position to equal if not surpass pre-pandemic visitor numbers.

As the Deputy is aware, the OPW is one entity working as part of a collaborative effort in place since mid-2019, together with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Fáilte Ireland and Tipperary County Council, to assess options for the development of a new all-purpose visitor facility in the town which would serve the needs of the Rock of Cashel visitor site and the town of Cashel, acting as an engine for economic, tourism and cultural sector growth. The remit of the OPW in this wider collaborative effort relates primarily to our dual mandate to conserve and present for visitors the complex of national monuments that make up the Rock of Cashel site and have been entrusted to the care of the OPW.

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat, Minister of State. That might be an appropriate place to stop.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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The Rock of Cashel is a jewel in the crown of Tipperary and Irish tourism. It is the number one attraction in the south east. It is known worldwide and a destination of choice for a huge number of national and international tourists. Cashel has rebounded from Covid. Recent statistics reveal that, as of August this year, up to 170,000 visitors had enjoyed the majestic Rock of Cashel, representing a 69% increase in numbers on the previous year. Prior to Covid, an average of 370,000 visitors stopped in Cashel and the site has an average of 1,000 visitors per day.

The Magnier family recently invested heavily to restore Cashel Palace to its former splendour. The town of Cashel has been greatly enhanced by its reopening. It has revitalised the local economy. The Rock of Cashel is one of our prime national attractions. Despite years of planning, it remains without an identified location for a visitor and interpretive centre. This is a glaring omission which must be urgently addressed. How advanced are those discussions?

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The OPW, along with the other agencies, has formed a steering group which has been investigating a number of sites for a potential visitor centre. It has been working with the local community and tourism representatives to determine where a site should be placed. Along with its partners, it has engaged international expertise and carried out a scoping report which has been presented to my Department for consideration. A number of sites have been visited and identified. Consideration is being given to existing arrangements for public parking, toilets, reception, café, retail and exhibition. There will be an assessment of the report and a decision will be made in the coming weeks.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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When does the Minister of State expect that decision to be made? The continuing delays in providing a visitor centre in Cashel are depriving the town of much-needed revenue. The business centre of the town has never been able to take full economic advantage of the numbers visiting the town. Typically, when tour buses stop at a popular destination, people on the bus are given a certain amount of time to spend at the relevant attraction. This time usually allows for a visit to an interpretive centre and can be extended to explore the town. If no such centre is available, the tour guides often choose to leave the area, and that is happening in Cashel. The town has an average of 1,000 visitors per day. It is of fundamental importance that it have the services and attractions to allow it to capitalise on this footfall. Local businesses benefit when tourists have the opportunity to linger and discover an area, rather than be whisked away again on buses.

A national tourist attraction of this magnitude requires that all the relevant agencies the Minister of State referred to co-operate with a sense of purpose and urgency to deliver an interpretive centre without further delay. Where exactly are we with that? When does the Minister of State anticipate the steering group will make a recommendation and when will we have a decision?

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. Cashel is one of the most important sites in the country and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and others. The next step is to assess the identified site locations. They will be matched against defined criteria to be agreed by the project steering group. The group will have regard to the conceptual spatial model, which will encompass requirements for the proposed new facility.

If the outcomes of this study are favourable, this will lead to further studies that will review sources of funding, possible management and operational options and other requirements laid out in the public spending code. The steering group for the project continues to meet on a regular basis. I do not have dates or costs. I will take the Deputy's concerns to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and ask him to speak to the Deputy directly.