Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The community monuments fund was announced last week, with funding of €4 million for 139 projects throughout the country. I was delighted a number of the projects are in my county, in particular in my town of Navan where the town walls project received funding and a project to carry out work on Babe’s Bridge, which is the oldest arched bridge in Ireland dating back to 1216.

However, a project of major national significance in the town that needs immediate assistance is the former St. Patrick’s classical school, which the Leader would know well as it is located beside the old County Hall in Navan. That building, which is of national architectural significance with its unique duck egg shape and roof, saw its magnificent roof collapse in on itself last week. It needs immediate assistance. I saw some comments on social media from former students from the 1950s and 1960s. They were delighted the roof fell in and were only sorry the walls did not fall down as well because of their negative experience in the school during that period. I can understand those remarks but this is a building of national importance. It has been designated as such.

I pay particular tribute to Meath County Council and its director of services, Dara McGowan, who has led the conservation effort and appointed consultants only last week to lead that effort, to bring it through the planning stage to development stage and to create a county museum and archive in that building. It has been in receipt of urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, funding to allow this process to take place. It will be seeking further URDF funding to allow the development to take place. A great deal of work has been done. I pay tribute to the council. I have spearheaded this project for a number of years.

I ask the Leader to join me in my request and to write to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, requesting emergency funding to help that particular aspect of the conservation process of the roof. Each tile that has come in has to be individually numbered and the beams have to be individually taken down. It is a costly process. I ask for the Leader's assistance to work with the Minister of Sate, Deputy Noonan to assist Meath County Council in this worthwhile project.