Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister. She has a very broad and interesting portfolio covering arts, tourism, media and culture. I will speak to what I know, which Ireland's Hidden Heartlands in the middle of Ireland. Is it not great that this opportunity has been brought about for us to rediscover what is on our doorstep? That is what many families are doing now when booking their holidays, particularly in August which is the month in which many people are taking a few days, a week or longer off. Regarding the hidden heartlands, between Roscommon and east Galway one can travel down the River Suck or the Shannon River on the opposite side. There are great lakes and it is a great way to enjoy blueways and water sports while also connecting with heritage.

I like one of the proposals here on how to promote the local area and developing some type of strategy on that, perhaps how we do visitGalway.ie, visitBallinasloe.ieand the equivalent for all the other counties. How can we ensure we are getting the most benefit from such websites? I had the opportunity, and I thank the Fine Gael team, to promote Roscommon and Galway. I got to promote the activities in my home town of Ballinasloe and hire a boat, meander down the River Suck and show what it was like to go into the marina in Ballinasloe. It is a great adventure. It is something I am looking forward to and am going to plan for a couple of weeks hence. Along with that were activities such as horse riding in Creagh Equestrian centre and doing hikes and trails on the Beara-Breifne Way which goes all the way from Cork through the centre of Ireland to Leitrim and Longford. There are great ways to explore.

What I really enjoy is the way families and children can connect with history through everything in our heritage. For example, the Battle of Aughrim was directly outside Ballinasloe. Other battles have been mentioned here, but how do we connect and build this heritage, culture and interest in our past, which shapes everything we do today? I believe there are great opportunities to do that. Other cultural items worth pointing out include the National Famine Museum in Strokestown, in which there was great investment by Discover Ireland and Bord Fáilte last year, Clonalis House in Castlerea and the lovely Roscommon Castle and park. I am passionate about the greenway and seeing it go from Athlone to Galway. That is a priority for Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Perhaps what will come out of this situation is the importance of developing that type of infrastructure and that type of tourism. We need to be able to accommodate short stays in Ireland as well as potentially longer stays of a week or two weeks.

Finally, can the Minister say what supports are being provided for travel agents? Obviously, that industry is gone.