Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach and congratulate Mr. Martin Groves on his new post, which I know he will do extraordinarily in every way.

I alert the House to something extraordinarily historic and creative that happened in County Mayo this week - Westport House was acquired by the Hughes family. I bring up their name because it is in the public domain. They bought Westport House, one of the greatest landmarks and jewels in the crown of County Mayo to keep it alive and give it a future. It was a national, regional and local triumph. It is a place of great beauty, creativity and imagination for tourism, art, geography, history, music and architecture. They, as a business family in the town, have kept this alive forever. All the jobs are saved by their generosity and their new direction. It was done with no rancour whatsoever. I congratulate Mr. Cathal Hughes, chairman of the Hotel Westport. We talk about jobs, architecture and beauty and our own counties in this House. This is a national icon. I also congratulate Mr. Harry Hughes and Mr. Owen Hughes, Mr. Peter Hynes of Mayo County Council, the Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, the Department and the Taoiseach. Cathal Hughes - one of our own people in the west of Ireland - said he intends to put €50 million into something that is our own to keep 200 jobs, to understand and articulate the importance of Westport and Mayo as a county and to ensure the house is maintained in creativity, history, beauty and imagination in perpetuity. They are exactly the kind of generous businessmen, thinkers and educators that every county needs and has. It took courage to do it without rancour and disturbance. I am glad to see it. It is a change. It is one of our own, buying one of the great houses to keep it in perpetuity for the people of Mayo. I wanted to put that on the record today. It is extremely important, especially in a world that is fluctuating at the moment.