Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is my first time on this side of the House. I welcome the Minister and take this opportunity to wish her well in her portfolio. I have no doubt that she will make many changes and will do an excellent job for the whole industry. I am sorry I missed Senator Casey's contribution because nobody in the House knows better than him what it will be like to start up a business again after being closed. It is not just like opening a business from new. Many businesses have lost fortunes. They have to renovate or do up their properties and, in many cases, they are faced with redundancies and heavy borrowings. That will be an enormous task for an awful lot of businesses, in the hospitality sector in particular.They are the lifeblood of the tourism trade.

All Members in both Houses received a brochure from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, which has also gone through a very difficult period. The brochure states the challenge taken by Comhaltas in 1951 of reversing the fortunes of the cultural traditions was, by any yardstick, truly ambitious and that from the outset, Comhaltas reorganised to be the fundamental link between these traditions and the community and recognised the importance of providing a comprehensive response to the needs of the traditions. It started in 1951 and grew from strength to strength. It faces a crossroads again. In his letter to us, Labhrás Ó Murchú, a former Member of the House who is the ard stiúrthóir of Comhaltas, states the exceptional response of many people and branches to keep the music playing has left us with a memory and legacy that lifted our spirits and will, le cúnamh Dé, sustain us in our efforts for 2021.

This is a golden opportunity for the tourism industry to use Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. When the bars and restaurants open, whenever the Minister can give them a date and they need to get a date, we could build in grants to Comhaltas to help those businesses. Most of the catering will be outdoors for a period and will require a lot of funding by businesses. They will need grants. Comhaltas could play a role if we had a mini-feis in each town. It would bring people out. The biggest problem we will have will be to bring people out and get them to go on holidays and make them stay locally or nationally. It would make the experience more enjoyable for these patrons. If we got a few heads together, something could be done whereby Comhaltas would play a huge role in every town throughout the country to help the catering business and bars, restaurants and hotels, and bring life back for our summer and make the summer more enjoyable for tourists. It would make it memorable. The Minister is the person who can lead this and I wish her well. I know she has a keen interest in this area and I wish her well with it.