Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is Thoor Ballylee and refers to Yeats's tower. The long and the short of it is that the project represents our built and literary heritages. The project has been a draw for people. Since we opened the project three weeks ago - it is run by a voluntary committee without help from the State - we have taken revenue of between €1,500 and €2,000 a week in visitor fees. We have done incredible PR around the world on the project and we have capitalised on the Yeats 2015 initiative. The voluntary committee is working to make the project sustainable for the OPW to take it over in time. Thoor Ballylee must be declared a national monument, and Senator Ó Murchú referred to Cashel. Unfortunately, there has not been a willingness in this regard from the Minister responsible for heritage, which is a shame because Thoor Ballylee is a jewel in the crown. Earlier, the Minister spoke about place. I can assure him that Thoor Ballylee is a gem, particularly when one looks at the number of visitors from at home and abroad who visit because Yeats is such a draw.

I refer to the Cashel House Hotel, which is an historic house located in Connemara. It is the only employer in the area with about 30 staff. De Gaulle visited the house in 1967 and now the hotel has the De Gaulle gardens, seat and bedroom. French tourists visiting the region do not know where the house is because the signage, the finger sign, has been taken by the NRA and Galway County Council. I got a special dispensation for it but these are frameworks with which the Minister should work. He should work with the NRA and the councils to ensure tourism is not hurt by rules like those that apply to signage. Imagine removing the signage and leaving people not knowing where to go.

Rates are another issue I wish to raise. The rates for this historic house are in the region of €30,000 a year.The woman who owns it is a widow and, I would guess, in her early 70s. She told me she has to take in €160,000 in turnover before she makes one cent. In fact, she has invested her pension into keeping the house open. What is particularly frustrating is that she is the only employer in the area.

There is a multiplicity of benefits to examining what can be done to support rural tourism. Rates, as I said, must be addressed, particularly how they are applied in rural areas. The Wild Atlantic Way was a brilliant idea and has proven a great draw for tourists. However, we have a situation where Irish Water made a decision to lay new pipes in Oranmore during the summer season. We have had several weeks of negotiations to prevent the village from being ripped up at the busiest time of the year. There is a lack of joined-up thinking on the part of local authorities, Irish Water and rates departments when it comes to tourism. Those frameworks must be reviewed.

The Minister is only too aware of the potential that exists. We have a fantastic country which people love to visit. The Minister touched on something very important when he referred to value for money. We can continue to offer tourists value for money if the employers and businesspeople who effectively run the tourism business are not cut off at the knees by silly decisions such as the one to which I referred in respect of signage. The issues with rates are, as I have outlined, a significant inhibiting factor. I thank the Minister for listening and hope he will take on board some of what I have said.