Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, to the House. He is almost as familiar as I am with the subject matter we will deal with. He opened the gardens of Killarney House, which are a tremendous asset, last year. It is the St. Stephen's Green of Killarney. A significant number of visitors have passed through the amenity. The Minister of State is an annual visitor to Killarney.

As the Minister of State has said, the investment in the house and gardens involves about €8 million. It is the foremost visitor attraction in Killarney and is capable of becoming the largest visitor attraction in the south. Are we hiding our light under a bushel in not having the amenity open? A year ago, the Minister of State and I thought the gardens would have reopened earlier this year, but that has not happened.

It is the house of the Browne family, who were the Earls of Kenmare and very involved in the development of Killarney town over centuries. Latterly, it has been the home of John McShane, the man who built the Pentagon and other famous buildings in Washington. It is intended that it be the main visitor centre for Killarney National Park. One can guess how important that is.

The house has been involved in the development of the town over a long period of time. It is one of the most, if not the most, valuable tourist asset in the south. It has become a major attraction, but if the house is reopened it will become the main attraction in the south and south-west.

I look forward to the comments of the Minister of State. Mr. Pat Dawson, the regional manager for the area, and his staff are very good. The Minister of State might refer to the governance and management that is in place. I am sure his Department has sorted things out internally and is capable of doing good job.