Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his work on tourism both domestically and internationally as an ambassador for the country. It is timely that these statements are being taken. Within my own region, significant work is being done on development of the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands brand, which is being led by Fáilte Ireland. We hope that it will have a significant impact on ensuring that we have sustainable tourism offering that will rival the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. As Senator Mark Daly mentioned, areas such as Roscommon and east Galway have often been overlooked in respect of tourism. We are not willing to tolerate this any more because we have great untapped potential with much to offer. Tourism can have a significant impact as a major economic driver for the region. The Minister of State will be aware of the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park, which he will visit shortly. He will be aware of the Rathcroghan heritage site in Tulsk, Clonalis House in Castlerea, the Battle of Aughrim site in east Galway and the Arigna mines in north Roscommon. They are just a sample of the tourism attractions in our region. We strongly believe they are untapped and there is a lot of potential to expand. They are not just of national importance but also of international importance.

As we approach Halloween, I refer to the Púca festival, which was launched last year in the ancient east. I would argue strongly that the roots of modern day Hallowe'en can be traced back to the Rathcroghan site in Tulsk. We would look for the Minister of State's support for recognition of this role. One of the 240 archaeological sites that comprise the Rathcroghan landscape is a place that our ancestors believed to be one of the chief entrances to the underworld, accessible at a certain point in the year, which was Samhain. It is from there that Halloween was developed. We strongly believe that there is significant history and heritage in this area. That is just another example.

The Beara-Breifne way is a walking and cycle route between the Beara Peninsula in County Cork and Blacklion in County Cavan. It is based on the route of O'Sullivan Beare in 1603. This is a project in which I have invested a lot of time, as much of the route travels through east Galway and Roscommon. The Minister for Community and Rural Affairs, Deputy Ring, allocated almost €1 million to the development of this route a year and a half ago. Locally, it is important because it will link the Suck Valley Way, the Lung Valley Way, the Miners' Way and the Hymany Way in east Galway. In his opening contribution, the Minister of State referred a lot to how being active in nature is important for the delivery of sustainable tourism. That is one of the key pillars within the Hidden Heartlands and what the Beara walk strives to offer by way of active tourism and ensuring that there is access to coastlines, bogs, woodlands, picturesque villages and very much the best of what Ireland has to offer. I have attended a number of workshops at which Fáilte Ireland has been supportive in terms of the Beara-Breifne way but I ask for a continued focus on its development and ensuring that it can reach its full potential.

I have been working hard, as the Minister of State will be aware, towards the development of the Dublin to Galway greenway. There has been progress in that Westmeath County Council has become the lead council for delivery of this. A public office is to be secured in Ballinasloe along with the appointment of consultants for this project in the coming weeks. The forthcoming code of best practice is essential to the development of this new greenway. It is important that we engage with all stakeholders and, as I have said to the Minister of State and officials in Westmeath County Council, this must, and can, be done without the need for compulsory purchase orders, CPOs. There is great concern among the farming community regarding the potential use of CPOs. It is very much about engaging with farmers and communities to achieve a route that meets the needs of all involved. We all know about the great successes of the Mayo and Waterford greenways. The Dublin-Galway greenway has the potential to reach even greater heights because it will be part of the EuroVelo pan-European route and will allow for major international attraction. As the Minister of State rightly said, it is a form of sustainable tourism, which is what we need to encourage and work towards.

I thank him for his work. I am looking for him to take the points I have made with regard to the untapped potential in our region, the need for a sustained, constant focus on development of the Hidden Heartlands brand and ensuring that the Beara-Breifne way is properly supported in terms of promotion and marketing along with the Dublin-Galway greenway being developed in a way that meets the needs of all stakeholders and works with farmers to ensure the best outcome is achieved without any need for CPOs to be used.