Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Very clearly. Excellence as always. I congratulate Strokestown. As mentioned by Senator Eugene Murphy in August this year, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and her team, visited Strokestown Park and House, where the amazing National Famine Museum and a visitor centre are under construction and due to open next year. The €100,000 allocation on top of that is part of a plan to develop a town centre first approach, which is about tackling and encouraging revitalisation and regeneration of our town centres. Like Ballinasloe, Gort will get this allocation. There will be a brand new route from Galway to Dublin, which will be fantastic for that town.

At this time of year, I always speak about shopping local. The calendar I have in my hand contains pictures of the types of Christmas lights that we see in a lot of towns across Ireland. This is phenomenal and down to support and investment. When people shop local and buy raffle tickets to support the activities in their towns, they are supporting the types of things that we want to see happening in Shop Local in our areas. To support shops in their areas many businesses purchase vouchers for their employees to use over Christmas. I would encourage more of that. For example, shopballinasloe.ieprovides vouchers to its employees and businesses and employers are also purchasing them for their employees who, in turn, will redeem them in the town. We should see more of that happening in our towns. Many people buy vouchers at a national level, but if they could consider doing it at a local level in regard to companies and businesses in their areas, it would be very much supported.

I wish everyone a really happy Christmas. I know we will be doing a lot more of that next week. Perhaps the Leader would allow a Christmas jumper or Christmas suit day.