Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)

We have a new thatching school centre located in our community hall in Portnoo in County Donegal. The school in Donegal is inundated with interested people after an open day. They have had huge success, with a lot of people attending, and it is their hope to proceed with a new streamlined course to get people trained up. They are interested in setting up a course, similar to the one offered by the education and training board, ETB, in Carlow-Kilkenny, to train thatchers in County Donegal.

As the Leader might be aware, there are only ten master thatchers left in Ireland and it is import we pass the skill on to the next generation. The skill is dying out, sadly, and the school here has a great opportunity for anybody who wants to learn to keep the tradition going. There is rope-thatching in Donegal or reed-thatching in Wexford and Cork, and straw-thatching or flax-thatching in Ulster and east Donegal. It is important we train these young people and we get them in very fast. As the Leader will be aware, tourists come to Ireland and the love to see the thatched cottage. The thatched cottage, sadly, is dying out.

The thatching course in Kilkenny is a full-time course and it is designed for individuals wishing to pursue a career in thatching. We in Portnoo in Donegal would like to do the same. I would like the Minister to come to the House to see whether we could do something similar to Carlow-Kilkenny to get the course recognised in Donegal in order that we can keep our heritage there too and give people employment. It will be full-time employment, too, because, as the Leader knows, the roof has to be looked after every couple of years.