Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call Senator O'Loughlin, I welcome the guests from the Abbeyfeale Active Retirement Association to the Seanad. They had a long journey. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their day and the few minutes of this session.

The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, has had a mixed grill, from Gaelscoileanna in Roscommon to the Curragh of Kildare. Is he taking the next matter?

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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No.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State is familiar with this matter as his mother is from beside the Curragh.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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She is. I think we have the Minister of State with responsibility for this matter in the Chamber.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for his responses and co-operation as he took five Commencement matters. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. I will move from one Kildare person to another and call Senator O'Loughlin.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for accepting this Commencement matter on the Curragh Plains. As the Minister of State will be aware, the Curragh is a jewel in the crown of Kildare. It is something we are truly proud of as Lilywhites. It is incumbent upon us as political leaders to ensure we do everything in our power to protect the Curragh's heritage and ecological value and ensure we use it to its fullest potential.

The Curragh is home to the Army, the racing industry and, of course, many sheep. Many hundreds of years ago, it was also home to Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna, and of course St. Brigid. It is a place of great importance from an ecological, archaeological and cultural perspective, with the film "Braveheart" having been filmed there. It is a great place for local people in which to walk and enjoy as it is bordered by Kildare, Newbridge, Milltown, Athgarvan, Kilcullen, and Rathangan. During the two years of Covid, it provided a great leisure facility for people. Local people have a great respect for it. For this and many other reasons, it should have the highest level of protection, while affording the opportunity for people, both locally and nationally, to enjoy its beautiful surroundings. We should seek UNESCO world heritage status for the Curragh because it is an important focal point in County Kildare. Some months ago, I also raised a Commencement matter on this matter with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. UNESCO world heritage status is the Holy Grail we should aim for.

The Curragh has its own unique administrative arrangements enshrined in law, in the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961. For several years, there have been ongoing issues with illegal dumping and encampments on the Curragh. These completely take away from its beauty for those who wish to use it daily and can deter people from utilising a local amenity. Earlier this week, there was an illegal encampment of 25 caravans. I thank Inspector James Molloy for his help in ensuring the group in question was disbanded, but we must do more in this regard.

In July 2021, there were a number of online focus group workshops on the Curragh Plains. These were initiated by the director of services at Kildare County Council, Joe Boland, and the Department of Defence. The Paul Hogarth Company was also involved. It undertook a conservation management plan and a branding, wayfinding and interpretation plan for the Curragh Plains. Such was the interest that 4,000 people responded. There is significant scope in that work to secure the long-term viability of the Curragh. The aim of the project is to help protect and conserve the special status of this landscape, manage more effectively the diverse yet critical uses of the plains and realise the Curragh's potential as a destination of value to locals and visitors alike.

I have been calling and lobbying for many years to see the Curragh designated national heritage status, and I believe such a designation would further protect the Curragh in the longer term. It is a truly unique landscape and a wonderful amenity. It was used as a meeting site during pre-Christian societies. The Curragh is shrouded in a mist of mythology. It has a close connection with the Hill of Allen as well as St. Brigid.

The 5,000 acres of the Curragh are under the care and protection of the Department of Defence and it is considered to be the oldest and most extensive such tract in Europe. It provides the setting for one of Ireland’s most significant prehistoric landscapes. There is no doubt of its significance or potential. However, we need to do more to protect this vital heritage site. We have seen unacceptable levels of dumping and fly-tipping, as well as significant damage at key sites such as the Gibbet Rath. That is wholly unacceptable. I am pleased that the circular economy Bill will pave the way for use of CCTV to detect and deter illegal dumping and littering, and I am hopeful that this will be utilised to protect the Curragh. What will the Government do to help that process?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, I thank the Senator for raising the matter of the Curragh consultancy study. The Minister has asked me to convey his regrets to the House that he could not be here and has specifically asked me to reassure the Senator that in both his current role and as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who oversaw the development of newly constructed racing stadium, he has a keen appreciation of and affinity with the Curragh.

Needless to say, as a local Deputy for the area, I am passionate about the Curragh Plains, as I know the Senator is. We are acutely aware of the huge potential that exists but also the challenges in terms of its ongoing management on a day-to-day basis.

The affinity we have is not just based on the military, sheep or horse racing sectors. The Government is keen to see those activities continue, but it is important that the 5,000 acres of unique grassland, as a place of significant natural beauty, should be protected for generations to come. To that end, the Department of Defence together with Kildare County Council have embarked on a unique collaboration aimed at finding a way forward in addressing the many challenges involved in managing and developing the Curragh Plains.

The key objectives of this collaborative work are to implement best practice to protect the landscape, care for its natural qualities and uniqueness while balancing the needs of its different users and potentially improve the recreational and educational value of the Curragh as a resource to local people, while also increasing visitor numbers on a sustainable basis.Obviously that would of huge benefit to the local south Kildare economy.

A public consultation process commenced in March 2021 which, given Covid restrictions, was conducted through the Curragh Plains website. The response, as the Senator has touched on, was phenomenal. Over 3,600 responses were received thus demonstrating the strength of feeling about the Curragh Plains. This was followed by a series of targeted virtual workshops with various stakeholders, which involved several Members of both Houses as well as local councillors. The Minister has asked me to thank all of them for their participation.

In terms of the next steps, a conservation management plan for the Curragh Plains is due to be submitted to the Department of Defence and Kildare County Council in the coming weeks. That will be followed by an interpretation and branding plan that is centred around the potential development of the plains as a cultural and amenity attraction. I, like many others, look forward to exploring these reports in depth and the potential they have for the improved management of the Curragh Plains from a conservation perspective, and into the future.

While the study is scheduled for completion by June 2022, the Minister is prepared to see the deadline extended if needed as it is essential that we get this once-in-a-generation opportunity right, as the Senator will no doubt agree.

I conclude by thanking the Senator for raising this matter and look forward to answering any additional comments that she may make. The main takeaway point is that the Government is determined to protect the Curragh and enhance and develop all of its great attributes for the benefit of everybody whether that is local people, tourists and visitors, or stakeholders who depend on the Curragh Plains as part of their livelihood. The Government is determined to do so in a sustainable way that protects the unique history of the Curragh Plains, which the Senator referenced.

The process has taken time but it is really important and a great opportunity for us. I am delighted to discuss this matter with the Senator here today.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to hear that the conservation management plan is due to be submitted to the Department and Kildare County Council in the coming weeks. Obviously there will be a plan around the potential development of the plains. While the study is scheduled to be completed in June 2022, I am not sure that we should seek the deadline to be extended because we need action sooner rather than later.

Earlier I mentioned the illegal encampment. In the coming weeks I will re-introduce a Bill, which I introduced in the Dáil, to ban any encampment on this key site without a licence. Will the Minister of State support my Bill? I also ask the Minister and the Minister of State present to support the notion of the Curragh receiving national protection as a national heritage park and that we consider submitting an application for protective status to UNESCO.

I accept that the Minister of State is here on behalf of the Minister for Defence and to read the speaking note that was provided. However, as the Minister of State is a Deputy who represents Kildare, I ask that he supports all that I have asked.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for her comments and appreciate her interest in this matter. I am aware of her recent announcement that she intends to introduce a Private Members' Bill on the permitted use of the plains. While I do not wish to assume the outcome of the study I think that we can both agree that there is a need to place the management of the plains on a modern footing with which I am sure everyone who lives in proximity to the Curragh Plains will agree.

The Senator mentioned the recent illegal encampment. We are aware that on a very a regular basis during spring and summer the Department of Defence and An Garda Síochána work closely together to deal with illegal encampments and trespassers on the plains, and particularly during the summer months. This was a feature of a significant number of comments that were received during the public consultation phase, which is no surprise to anyone who has been a public representative for the area. It is very clear and important that the challenge must be dealt with as part of a conservation management plan.

Sadly, fly-tipping is a feature of the misuse of the Curragh Plains. While the Department of Defence has a waste collector on-call to clean up, it is very difficult to prevent such anti-social behaviour but the issue cannot be ignored and we must proactively manage the plains into the future. I note all of the Senator's comments and will convey them to the Minister, including applying to UNESCO for protective status. My view of the ongoing management of the plains is that we must strike the right balance between conservation and proactive protection yet not shut off the plains from the people who depend on and use them. I think that we can get strike the right balance with this process.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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As both the Senator and Minister of State have said, the Curragh Plains is a beautiful and unique landscape. It is a particularly lovely location for a drive.

I thank the Minister of State, fellow colleagues and staff. The ushers were very good at telling us who was in the Gallery today.