Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this very important issue for his community, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy O'Donovan, who has asked me to pass on his apologies as unfortunately, he is taking oral parliamentary questions in the Dáil Chamber this morning. Desmond Castle in Kinsale, also known as the French prison, is one of more than 700 national monuments throughout the country that are conserved, maintained and managed by the Office of Public Works. When it was open for visitors, the castle operated as a town centre seasonal site during the summer months and was managed by OPW staff in conjunction with other major national monuments and with Charles Fort, Kinsale. As the latter attracts approximately 100,000 visitors each year, the importance of these locations to the local community, and the local economy, is recognised. Desmond Castle was built by the Earl of Desmond in or around the year 1500 and is a fine example of an urban tower house with a three-storey keep and storehouses to the rear. It had many uses over the years. It was originally built as a customs house to meet the international trade coming into Kinsale by sea. It also served as a prison for some time in the 18th century and was an ordnance and service store supplying the local English garrison in Charles Fort during the Battle of Kinsale of 1601. It then served as a local workhouse during the Great Famine of the mid-1840s. By the early decades of the 20th century, however, the castle had fallen into decay before it was taken over by the Commissioners of Public Works and declared a national monument in 1938.

As the Senator is aware, the site is currently closed, as extensive conservation works are required and the castle was considered a risk to visitors if kept open. Due to penetration issues, the building requires a full programme of fabric repair and refurbishment works. Several surveys have been completed on the building, including mechanical and electrical, a digital survey of the castle, and a full building fabric report. The works needed to deal with the water penetration issues have also been identified. This is a multi-phased and complex repair project and the OPW is now seeking to appoint an external conservation architect for the entire repair and refurbishment programme, from preliminary design through to handover.

Given that the castle is a national monument, the consent of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be required for all repair and conservation works. The OPW expects that the repair works contract will be carried out by external contractors, with particular conservation elements undertaken by the OPW’s own skilled workforce. The target is to have the full design process under way and potentially completed this year. The OPW's Mallow district carried out window repairs at the castle in 2022 and some additional masonry repairs to windows are currently being carried out. The completion of the design phase of the project was also impacted by the pandemic as the OPW’s internal resources had to be redirected to meet other demands on the heritage service and as a result, time has been lost on the project. However, the OPW sees an opportunity here to consider the site afresh, interpreting its varied history to bring it to the attention of more visitors to the region. The design phase of the project therefore will bring a new focus on the history of the property with perhaps the 1601 rebellion being a central theme that could be explored.

While there are no immediate plans to open the site to the public, as more work needs to be carried out to develop the interpretation programme for the site, the OPW is a stakeholder in the Fáilte Ireland west Cork coast destination and experience development plan group and it looks forward to working with other stakeholders in the development of the plan as it pertains to Desmond Castle and Kinsale.