Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I advise Senators that the Alfred Beit Foundation in Russborough House has decided to sell eight masters' paintings via Christie's on 7 July. They will realise approximately £10 million. Sir Alfred and Lady Beit will forever be recognised by the State as among the greatest champions of the arts in Ireland. They placed their home, the Richard Castle-designed Russborough House, and the greater part of their internationally important art collection in trust forever for the benefit of the Irish nation through the Alfred Beit Foundation. They also made an extraordinary gift to the National Gallery of Ireland of 16 of their finest paintings, including paintings by Vermeer, Metsu and van Ruisdael. In today's terms, the value of those gifts runs to hundreds of millions of euro. The paintings I speak about are by Rubens, Adriaen van Ostade, David Teniers the Younger and Francesco Guardi.

While I acknowledge that Russborough is in need of repair and that the Alfred Beit Foundation has had to do this, I call on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Alfred Beit Foundation to come together to consider bringing these paintings back to Ireland and for us to find it within ourselves to restore Russborough House. These paintings will be lost to us forever. They are one of the reasons people come to visit Ireland. We can never regain these gifts of heritage and beauty. I would be eternally grateful if the Leader could urgently bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.