Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I echo Senator Cassells' comments and commend the documentary last night on television and, indeed, the "Documentary on One" programme. They did a great professional job of remembering this tragic period in our country's history.

I congratulate the Burren Ecotourism Network on being the only tourism initiative from this country to be considered as part of the thirty great experiences in the Lonely Planetguide that was announced today. This is on top of other awards the Burren Ecotourism Network received in recent years for the unique and splendid way in which it does business. The Burren Ecotourism Network is a world showcase on what can be gone when communities collaborate. It is a network of 60 businesses in the tourism area which promote and do their business in a sustainable way. The Burren is a world example of sustainability and farming for conservation where the people who live on the land and on the farms, and the farmers who farm the land, also act as ambassadors for the area. The best possible tourism product is where the people who live, breathe and work in the area become the ambassadors, storytellers and guardians of the product.

This is a great day for County Clare, north Clare, the Burren and Ireland. It shows what we can do in a sustainable way, in a manner that protects our environment and what we have inherited from previous generations, and what can be done in terms of protecting it for future generations. Projects like this will definitely help us get out of our current challenges and difficulties because millions of people want to travel and visit environmentally-friendly areas in our country to protect, cherish and celebrate our environment. I salute and congratulate the 60 people involved in this latest world award achieved by the Burren in County Clare. I wish them well in their future endeavours.