Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address this matter. As she will know, Shannon Heritage is the tourism attraction division of the Shannon Group. It comprises Bunratty Castle, King John's Castle, Craggaunowen Castle and Knappogue Castle. It has the management contracts for a number of other facilities around the country. As the Minister of State will know, this business was transferred from the old Shannon Development into the Shannon Group when Shannon Airport was established as an independent entity and it was also added to with the assets of Shannon Development.

The true potential or past glory of Shannon Heritage has not been seen in the region for some time. The flagship attractions of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, as it is known all over the world, has been responsible for driving enormous tourism not only through County Clare but through the wider west and mid-west region. It has been of major benefit over the years to activity at Shannon Airport and I have long campaigned for its survival and protection. It has true potential. Those facilities need to be modernised and upgraded and, effectively, made relevant to what the current tourism industry wants. It is a unique attraction that together with the other facilities I mentioned has provided such good employment and helped create jobs in the wider region, particularly in hospitality businesses and other support services.

Plans are at an advanced stage to transfer the business to Clare County Council, which is a good fit. The council has shown a capacity to operate tourism attractions at the Cliffs of Moher, which was operating very successfully prior to the lockdown associated with the pandemic. The council also has developed a very nice facility at the lighthouse at Loop Head. It is part of a slow tourism offering in the west Clare area. My colleague, Councillor Cillian Murphy, had been to the fore in developing the attractiveness of the west Clare area and the Loop Head Peninsula, in particular. The council purchased an island on Lough Derg in recent years and is currently working on proposals to develop a tourism attraction centre for that ancient monastic settlement in the village of Mountshannon.

Clare County Council has demonstrated a capacity to be a good operator of tourism attractions. It is clear it is better for Shannon Airport to concentrate on developing and driving passengers and freight through the airport and I know it wants to do that. That will be a big enough challenge for it in light of what has happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are making good efforts there. We will see transatlantic business begin again in March and increased activity into the UK and other tourism destinations. What we now need is a definite timeline to bring this process to a conclusion. The tourism season in the Clare area usually kicks off in early March.It is certainly well under way by St. Patrick's Day.

Staff need certainty about their future and tour operators need certainty that the facilities are operational and up to a high standard. We need to see investment, particularly in Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, and money is needed to upgrade those facilities. Craggaunowen and Knappogue also need money to make them fit for purpose and operational to attract tourists to the Clare area, and the wider mid-west and west will benefit from that too. Government funding to keep the lights on and to pay staff will be needed, in particular to support the transfer from one entity to the other. Operational funding will also be needed. It is clear these facilities are not going to be able to wash their face in the short term, frankly, because while the tourism potential is there, it is going to take time to build and grow, and funding will have to be put in place to ensure that happens. There will also be a necessity to invest significant capital funding in upgrading these facilities.

I know there are different initiatives with Fáilte Ireland to support that but we need to bring them together. We need a timeline for action to deliver these tourism attraction facilities, which employ so many people - upwards of 140 at peak season - but also benefit the wider attractiveness of the west of Ireland from a tourism perspective.