Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. This matter concerns Yeats Tower, Thoor Ballylee, County Galway. This is a building of special importance from an historical, recreational and cultural perspective to the people of Kiltartan and Gort in County Galway. Indeed, in 1965, for the centenary of W. B. Yeats's birth, Ballylee was fully restored by the Kiltartan Gregory Cultural Society, replete with a collection of first editions and items of furniture. The adjoining cottage was a tea room and shop from that period on.

However, following the flooding of the Cloone River in 2009, the Thoor was extensively damaged and thereafter was no longer open to the public. Significant works have been undertaken recently by Fáilte Ireland to protect the structure. I have made several representations to that body in this regard since I was nominated to the Seanad by the Tánaiste. The famed tower that W. B. Yeats purchased in 1917 and which was used as a summer home by the poet and his family until it was abandoned in 1929, is critical to a tourism revival in east Galway. On that basis I have corresponded and had meetings with Fáilte Ireland on a number of occasions in the past two years both in my own capacity and with a local tourism group, the Lady Gregory Yeats Heritage Trail Group, of which I was a member and which has done a huge amount of work promoting this area and its tourism potential. I was also in contact with the Minister. In the past I worked to summon interest in this structure by writing to interested parties in the Galway area as a means of maximising the area's connection to W. B. Yeats.

Thoor Ballylee is steeped in connections with W. B. Yeats and should be just as important a tourism landmark as his grave in Drumcliffe, County Sligo, which tens of thousands of people visit every year. It is clear that south Galway badly needs a tourism boost and the opening of this tower, which I have requested in the past, is critical to the revival of the tourism sector in east Galway. I thank Fáilte Ireland, which is in charge of Thoor Ballylee, for its enthusiastic and positive responses to my meetings with the body about this matter. I look forward to the Minister of State's response to my request to have the tower re-opened to the public as a tourist attraction with all ancillary services.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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It is interesting that both Senator Higgins and I tabled this matter at the same time. To give the background for tabling it, I was contacted by Ronnie O'Gorman, who is chairman of The Friends of Coole. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, was in Galway a number of months ago regarding the film school and the Solas Picture Palace. On that occasion, Ronnie O'Gorman met me and the Minister and impressed upon us the importance of reopening Thoor Ballylee. There is a local group with multiple stakeholders, whose names I will give to the Minister of State, and it intends to reopen Thoor Ballylee, W. B. Yeats's holiday home.

I thank the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, for his interest and guidance on this project so far. I have been working with him. Interestingly, there is another example of a local group taking over a similar project in Dublin, the James Joyce Tower in Sandycove. It was formerly owned by Dublin Tourism and will be handed over to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council this autumn. We are working on replicating that model. We are seeking the continued support of the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and cross-departmental support from the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, until Thoor Ballylee is reopened with a solid programme. The aim of the group is that it would be a cultural centre offering educational programmes.

As Senator Higgins said, following the flooding in 2009 everything was extensively damaged. Wide-ranging discussions with local people from the Gort area, academics, members of the local authorities and local tourism interests have already taken place. There is a keen enthusiasm for the Yeats Tower to be opened once again to the public, students of all ages and visiting scholars. The University of Limerick, UL, and National University of Ireland, Galway, NUIG, are working closely with the group. In bringing Thoor Ballylee back on stream we are pulling back the curtain on one of the most significant cultural landscapes in Europe. W. B. Yeats was a great friend of Lady Gregory and her home was down the road in Coole Park. The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in terms of getting this project back on stream. The Minister, Deputy Varadkar, has said we should use the model used with the James Joyce Tower and there is a willingness to do that.

Our request is that Thoor Ballylee be opened for six weeks of this summer and, next year, it should be open from early spring to late autumn. There is room for a modest cafe. The people who have an active interest in this include Professor Margaret Harper of UL, who would like the Thoor Ballylee to be available for visits by international Yeats societies. There is massive tourism potential in this case. In addition, students of Irish studies at both UL and NUIG would have access. As it is such a perfect complement to Coole Park it could become a major focus for foreign students at both UL and NUIG. The educational programming that could surround this is obvious. There could also be creative writing workshops. More than 5,000 children and adults attended events in the past, which shows the interest in this area.

The following people from the south Galway area are actively involved: Michael O'Grady, whom the Minister of State might know; Colm Farrell, a local businessman; John Quinn, broadcaster and writer; Sr. Mary de Lourdes Fahy, historian, and other academics.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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The Senator is out of order in naming people on the record of the House.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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We are in the process of issuing a letter in which we will invite all local politicians, including Senator Higgins, to the Lady Gregory Hotel on 10 June. It is a multiple stakeholder process as there is no doubt that everybody must be involved. I thank Senator Higgins for also tabling this matter today. Let us move together on this for the future of Thoor Ballylee. Our only interest and my only interest, based on my background in the creative writing area, is to have this tower open for the public, scholars and tourists generally.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to reply on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar. He is abroad on official business.

I will explain the position with regard to the future of Thoor Ballylee after hearing from Senators Higgins and Healy Eames of the significant progress that has been made to date towards reopening W. B. Yeats's former home as a cultural and educational centre. I cycled by the Yeats Tower ten days ago. One cannot but acknowledge the beauty and historical significance of this building. It is the former holiday home of W. B. Yeats. He purchased the property in 1916. It is only a few miles from Coole Park, the home of his lifelong patron and friend, Lady Augusta Gregory. The location and history of the tower intrigued W. B. Yeats and he is reputed to have written some of his greatest poetry there, including Sailing to Byzantium and Coole Park, 1929, which we recall from our leaving certificate. For some of us, unfortunately, that was quite a long time ago.

The tower house was given by Michael Yeats, his son, to Ireland West Tourism and it transferred to Fáilte Ireland in 2006, when the regional tourism authority was amalgamated with Fáilte Ireland.

By way of background I would like to explain that Ireland West was among a number of regional tourism authorities that were amalgamated with Fáilte Ireland at the time. It is also important that the Senators are aware that when Fáilte Ireland took over the regional tourism authorities, it also took on the operation of an extensive network of tourist information offices. The management, staffing, opening hours and locations of these offices are administrative and operational matters for Fáilte Ireland and its management.

I understand from both Senators that they see the tower as playing a far more significant role than simply a tourist information office. Given the pressures on the public finances and in response to changes in the needs of tourists, Fáilte Ireland, like many other State agencies, continues to reconfigure its service delivery, reshape its services and prioritise the locations where tourist information offices are located. As part of that, Fáilte Ireland has worked in partnership with local communities, where possible, to provide tourist information by local groups and business. During 2011 and 2012, Fáilte Ireland established a good track record in that regard when co-operation with local communities ensured many tourist information offices remained open which might otherwise have closed.

Fáilte Ireland has outsourced the provision of smaller tourist information offices. To date, approximately 40% of them have been taken over by local authorities, chambers of commerce and community groups. I am aware a similar initiative is under way. Perhaps it will re-open a tourist information office at the square in Gort which might tie in with the re-opening and redevelopment of Thoor Ballylee. Fáilte Ireland does not operate tourism attractions per se. Where it has inherited them, it has disposed of its interest at an appropriate stage.

With regard to the specific situation at Thoor Ballylee, Senators will be aware that the area was badly affected by flooding in 2009. The tower house was extensively damaged by the flooding and has been closed ever since. In 2012, Fáilte Ireland spent €200,000 on weather proofing the building and protecting its fabric. The building is not fit for occupation, and further work will be required if it is to open again. It would not be value for money were Fáilte Ireland to invest further in the tower house. The number of visitors who sought tourism information when the tower house was open was too small to justify spending scarce resources on re-opening the building as a tourist information office. Therefore, it was clear to the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, that Thoor Ballylee would not be used by Fáilte Ireland. He has explored other possible uses, as outlined by both Senators, that are outside the remit of his Department and its agencies. The Senators suggested that it might serve as a cultural and heritage centre. He raised that possibility with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and he is considering the matter.

I would be very interested in, and look forward to, hearing updated suggestions by the Senators on the best possible course of action. I agree with both of them when they suggested that we adopt a collaborative approach using a number of different agencies. We must also collaborate deeply with the community to ensure the re-opening occurs. I shall commit my resources, time and efforts to assist them in that regard.

Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. Like the Minister, I am committed to seeing something worthwhile happen with the project. The tower has an historical, cultural and educational significance. It is heartening for the people who are interested in it to discover that there may be further plans for it, and we all welcome the initiative.

Senator Healy Eames mentioned towards the end of her contribution a number of local people who were on the same committee on which I was previously. Like the Senator, I found today's scheduling interesting. I lodged the Adjournment matter the day before she did, so it is interesting, to say the least, that the matter was scheduled here for the same day. There is no problem. It is just interesting.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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We are progressing in the right spirit. As the Minister of State said, this must be a collaborative project. The project is in the public interest. It is in our national interest and has international appeal. The tower house is a phenomenal State asset. It would be wonderful if a community group took it over because it needs to be embedded in a community. There is a clear willingness to do so. My one and only interest in the project is to facilitate such an initiative. Everybody who wants to work on the project will be invited and welcome to do so. That is my understanding from talking to Mr. Ronnie O'Gorman from the Friends of Coole. Everyone is welcome so let us move forward with the project. It looks like something we can genuinely do and achieve. which is great.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the support and recommendations from both Senators that we engage in a collaborative approach. A lot can be achieved. Anyone who lives and works in east and south Galway would acknowledge that a lot needs to be done to inform people about its wonderful tourism and heritage. We must avail of the resources and opportunities to market that part of County Galway. A central part of developing those facilities must be the re-opening of Thoor Ballylee tower in some capacity in the very near future, if at all possible.