Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. It is great to see a Minister of State come in to talk and we are lucky to have the former Minister of State, Senator Noonan, present. I have spoken on a number of occasions since I was nominated to the House about the wonderful place we have in County Donegal, Glenveagh National Park. I do not know if the Minister of State has been up there. It really is one of the jewels in the crown. I passed by it a couple of weeks ago and to see it at this time of year with the trees in all the different colours of red and orange, it is something we are so proud of in Donegal. It really is and we very much want to keep it there as the jewel in the crown. There are approximately 200,000 visitors to Glenveagh Castle and it is a major part of Donegal tourism.We are so lucky too because we have a great, dedicated staff. They really are. The few times I was there, I saw what was going on. They are working hard and keeping everything going, under challenging circumstances at times. One of the problems I have is the castle is closed on a Friday and a Monday. Those are the two busiest days of the year in the summer. It is something that the Minister of State might try to look into because a lot of tourists go to Donegal and the castle is a major tourist attraction in Donegal. This is something we need to look at again. Having the castle closed on Monday and Friday, the two busiest days for tourists in Donegal, makes no sense to me.

I welcome the 208 ha that were just bought for Glenveagh. It is great and keeps adding to the situation. My colleague, Senator P. J. Murphy, went through a lot of what goes on in Glenveagh. He has taken that part of the script away from me. It is a national treasure for us in Donegal. I would like it supported in every way possible. I know the Minister of State comes from a background of heritage, he is passionate about it and is passionate about national wildlife. All I ask is for anything we can do to promote Glenveagh. We really love it up there. It is a national treasure and we want to keep it that way. I thank the Minister of State.