Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome Councillor Bernie Conlon and guest, who are guests of Senator Sharon Keogan and Deputy Erin McGreehan, to the Public Gallery. I hope they enjoy the conversation.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Seanad for arranging statements on national parks. It means a lot that the group here cares enough to have a conversation and a discussion on our national parks and recognises their importance. Acting Chairperson, you being from a county with one of the most stunning national parks in the country, it is great that you are in the Chair.

I thank the Senators present for the opportunity to address them on this very important issue. This expanding, diverse and vibrant network is one of our nation's greatest treasures and represents the living, beating heart of Ireland's natural heritage. It is my pleasure to provide an overview of the national parks system and update the Seanad on recent developments, and I would welcome Senators' comments and feedback.

Across this country, our national parks are places where biodiversity thrives, people and communities can connect with nature and we can all continue to experience the inherent beauty of our island. Our parks span a range of geographies and biospheres, from the rugged mountains of Connemara to the oak woodlands of Killarney to the upland heaths of Wicklow and Glenveagh. Until recently, Ireland had six national parks: Killarney, Glenveagh, Connemara, Wild Nephin, the Wicklow Mountains and the Burren. In 2023 and 2024, we saw the acquisition of strategic land purchases to facilitate the creation of two new national parks. Our seventh national park, yet to open to the public, is based at the site of Dowth Hall in County Meath. This was followed by the creation of Ireland's eighth national park, which is also our first marine national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, in Ciarraí.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is responsible for the management of these parks. I want to specifically mention the dedicated staff working on the ground, who deserve immense credit for the stewardship they provide day to day. Their work often goes unseen - managing visitor access, engaging in education programmes, protecting vulnerable habitats, working with neighbouring farmers and local communities, and responding to the growing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. The work that happens in our national parks is at the very forefront of building a knowledge and love of nature, in conserving habitats and protecting nature, in providing new, sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities and in meeting our national and international obligations, such as the requirements of the nature restoration law.

My predecessor, Senator Noonan, whom I am sure will join us later, played an important role in delivering the reviews into the function and role of the NPWS, and I acknowledge that. This Government remains committed to seeing the NPWS deliver on the ambitious renewal programme that arose from those reviews. The renewal programme seeks to build a modern, well-resourced and resilient agency that can protect our natural heritage and manage our network of national parks and nature reserves.

I am delighted to say that core funding for the NPWS has increased from €28.7 million in 2020 to €78 million in 2025, and for 2026 I have secured a core funding allocation for the National Parks and Wildlife Service of over €100 million for the first time. This Government's commitment to nature has resulted in real, on-the-ground improvements in our national parks system. It has enabled investment in a range of capital works projects, investment in better equipment, an increased ability to respond to the availability of strategic land opportunities, the introduction of new and innovative ways of doing things, and improved visitor facilities. These past few years have seen increased staff recruitment, with the appointment of key posts, such as national park manager, across the country, while also providing additional guide resources, increased numbers of rangers in post, and stronger regional management structures and teams.

The investments made are not abstract numbers; they have had real, tangible effects, no more so than when we look at the expansion of the network of our national parks. This certainly is not expansion for the sake of expansion. As set out in the programme for Government, this Government recognises the importance of continuing to support the ongoing expansion and resourcing of our national parks. The European Union's biodiversity strategy provides for ambitious restoration targets and the recommended expansion of protected areas. Similarly, objective 2 of the national biodiversity action plan aims to meet urgent national conservation and restoration needs via a variety of measures, which include the expansion of our national parks and nature reserves network by 2030 in order to help better manage national conservation efforts. Already, we have made very good progress in this regard.

As previously mentioned, the 2023 acquisition of lands in Dowth led to the creation of the first new national park in almost 25 years. This purchase added almost 224 ha to the national park network. In 2024, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara followed suit, becoming Ireland's first marine national park thanks to the acquisition of the Conor Pass and related sites in County Kerry.

These have been complemented by other strategic land acquisitions across a range of other parks in the past few years. Connemara National Park has made its most significant addition to the park since it was first opened in 1980. The purchase last year of an additional 249 ha of land located in the townland of Tievebaun, County Galway, increased the size of Connemara National Park by over 12%. In 2023, Wild Nephin National Park added 165 ha to its footprint. Killarney National Park saw expansions of 122 ha in 2023 and a further 121 ha in 2024. Also in 2024, the Burren National Park acquired lands in Tullycommon, totalling 172 ha. Finally, this year has seen a number of purchases advance, including the completed acquisition of 208 ha at Glenveagh National Park in Donegal.

These purchases mean that more than 98,000 ha of land now fall within the boundary of national parks in Ireland. It means that additional woodland, heath and limestone pavements are now under the stewardship of the NPWS. It means that additional lands can be incorporated into the dark skies initiative at Wild Nephin. It means that vulnerable habitats and breeding grounds can now be nurtured and protected for years to come.

These lands provide a platform for the NPWS to undertake major capital investment. One of the hallmark capital-funded activities in national parks is the identification and control of invasive alien species. Each one of our national parks is a collection of different habitats with varying animals and plants native to each region. However, each park is susceptible to a range of non-native, invasive species that varies based on the specifics of each site. National parks provide an opportunity for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to study and research these invasive species, determining the optimum methodologies for their control and eventual eradication. In 2025, over €2 million has been allocated to address the issue of invasive species management across our national parks. Significant inroads have been made in several areas, in particular in the tackling of Rhododendron ponticum in significant parts of Killarney National Park.

With regard to the management of deer within our State-owned national parks and nature reserves, culling is a regular and ongoing management operation and is undertaken periodically when resources, weather and timing allow.This allows my Department to work towards sustainable herd management and, as such, there is annually, and will continue to be, a need to remove a certain percentage of animals from the herd, encompassing both age and gender, on an ongoing basis. There is a wealth of work going on in our national parks that I have yet to address. I will come back to it in my closing remarks. I will finish my opening remarks by saying issues of nature and of biodiversity affect us all, and perhaps hold a greater place in the public consciousness than ever before. One of the greatest strengths of our system of national parks is to provide greater access to and knowledge of issues surrounding nature and conservation for all. I recognise that the Members of this Chamber represent a wide variety of viewpoints and stakeholders from a range of backgrounds, and I look forward to listening to their contributions.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for a very informative overview, and commend him on the passion and enthusiasm he has brought to the role. If anyone was to be asked what Ministry they would like, it was like Santa and Christmas for him when he got this brief. There are few Ministers in the House as passionate about their portfolio as him. He has certainly hit the ground running. He brings immense knowledge to this area, to the betterment of Ireland as a nation and rural Ireland as a whole. It would be remiss of me not to commend the efforts of his predecessor, who is now a Member of this House. Senator Noonan did significant work in this area and I was very proud to work alongside him in the lifetime of the previous Dáil. He put a lot of the building blocks in place that the Minister of State is now going to follow through on. It would be reasonable to say that one of the untold successes of the previous Government was the progress we made in this area. We need to see that momentum continue. I know Senator Noonan was very much to the fore in a number of the new national parks. It was very much through his initiative and vision that it is happening. We need to build on that momentum.

We do not have a national freshwater park at the moment. It will be no secret to the Minister of State that I will be making the case that it should be Lough Ree, particularly those lands around Lough Ree that are close to County Longford. The Minister of State visited the area recently as part of a national conference that took place in Athlone. He met some people who are involved in promoting that project. We have islands in Lough Ree where people still lived up to 50 years ago. Indeed, we have a TD in the Lower House, Deputy Brennan, whose grandfather was one of the last residents of one of those islands in Lough Ree, and subsequently moved to Galway. We have made significant progress in farming in terms of the environmental challenge, particularly through the offices of the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES. There is an opportunity for us, through the national parklands scheme, to look at a more pure and wholesome method of farming that even goes beyond what we are doing in ACRES. We have a great opportunity to revert to farming in what was its purest and most simple form through that. We have an opportunity with Lough Ree and its islands to look at sustainable farming in its purest form. We could look at bringing back some of the rare cattle breeds. We have the traditional Irish goat which was almost extinct, but good work has been done on bringing it back. Both of those species can cohabit there reasonably well. We have the traditional Irish cob, on which some work has been done as well. We can do a lot of work on safeguarding and building on that through a national park in the midlands and specifically around Lough Ree.

I have once concern in relation to the National Association of Regional Game Councils. It would be fair to say we had our battles with the Minister of State's predecessor. The Minister of State has come on board. Senator Noonan worked hard on it and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, has taken on the mantle as well. The association was surprised, in response to a question in the Lower House, when the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, was replying to a query and confirmed that a review of the memorandum of understanding is to take place. That came as a great surprise to the National Association of Regional Game Councils. It was the first the NARGC had heard of it. Obviously, it is taking the Minister of State's bona fides at face value. It has seen the positive work his office has done, particularly in the area of the mink eradication programme, and the significant progress we have seen in respect of breeding waders. It is unfortunate that the NARGC has heard about this process in this way. The Minister of State's officials need to engage with it and give it some degree of reassurance. We need a collegial process and to work together.

The Minister of State comes from Cork so he knows we have a problem with TB in this country. One of those issues is the badger. Longford is the worst county in the country in the scale of the problem that we have. Large numbers of farmers are affected. The problem is to the fore now because of the value of cattle; the compensation farmers are getting is in no way commensurate with what the cattle are actually worth. We have come to the point where we have to look at what we are going to do with the badger population in Ireland and what its future is. I will go back to Lough Ree again; we have badgers on one of the islands there which are causing major problems for ground-nesting birds. Basically there are no ground-nesting birds on that island because of the badger. There should be no badgers on the island. It is impossible to know how a badger got onto an island but there are badgers there, but that is another story. As a country, we need to look at what we are going to do with the badger population. We have to consider some measure to try to contain it. We are paying a major price in terms of our farming community, particularly our small, rural communities.

There are an awful lot of positives and huge scope for work that can be done in this area. We have what I would consider to be mainstream commercial farming that has moved into that space of environmental farming. As a country that values rural Ireland and the rural way of life, we have an opportunity, through the Minister of State's good offices, to look at sustainable farming. The ideal model to start that would be to have a freshwater national park in Lough Ree and then look at having a sustainable farming model on its islands.

I would be interested to get the Minister of State's views on the fact that large sections of the Royal Canal and the Grand Canal have never been opened, particularly on the outskirts of Longford town. Given the amount of money that would be involved, it is unlikely they will ever be opened. Over the last 20 to 30 years, a natural nature reserve has almost grown within those canals. I know it does not look like it, but I was running out there last Saturday morning - at incredible speed - and I counted three hawks on a 5 km run, several foxes and several other species of birds. I was stopped by one local man who was incensed that Waterways Ireland had come and cut out a large swathe of trees that there was no reason to cut at all. It would be a positive event if the canal were to reopen, but in the event of it not reopening, could we designate that as a nature reserve?

Joe Conway (Independent)
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Is aoibhinn liom a bheith i láthair don cheist thábhachtach seo inniu. Molaim an tAire Stáit agus a fhoireann as an ualach mór airgid atá faighte aige sa bhuiséad don NPWS. It is great to see such an investment and a recognition of what is truly a very important matter for all of us. If I was to ask Members of the House and the Minister of State what is the most obvious commonality in relation to the location of national parks, what would they answer?

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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A lot of them are in the west anyway.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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The Minister of State is pretty much on the money there. They are all basically in maritime counties. Just to adduce to what my colleague, Senator Flaherty, said, the midlands are left as if they had no inherent beauty at all.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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Apart from ourselves.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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Apart from the personalities, yes. It is regrettable that the midlands are not taken into the equation for as long as these considerations are being made. One of my treasured childhood memories is lying in bed at night in rural Ardagh, County Longford, and listening to the sound of the corncrake. I thought the corncrake had disappeared from the country completely. However, a couple of years ago I had the good fortune to take a week's holiday in Inishbofin and when I got off the ferry, the first thing I heard was the incessant sawing sound of the corncrake. I believe the only other place the corncrake is extant now is in the area of the Shannon Callows in Offaly. Just like what Senator Flaherty said about the canals and wildlife, there is an inherent potential for that sort of investment in the midlands. However welcome Centre Parcs is in Longford, we would love a bit of nature there as well. Even though I am supposedly speaking up for my people down in Waterford, my adopted county, I still think the midlands is somewhat neglected in that regard. This may be something that the Minister of State and his team could look at as we move forward.

I am going to shift completely from that whole business to something I noticed in my years as a teacher and principal in County Waterford. When I arrived at the school, we got little bits of garden around it that were started in conjunction with the caretaker. It was not long before I noticed the rehabilitative effect this had on some of my more recidivistic pupils. On a Friday afternoon, one of the most joyous things these bold boys could do was go out into the garden and get stuck in. Not all of it was entirely productive or generative of growth, but it really added to the growth of those youngsters who maybe came from the wrong side of the tracks.

We can extrapolate that to the 5,500 people we have in prisons in Ireland and then look at the proliferation of our national parks. Maybe it exists already - and I am not aware of it - but what about the possibility of linking the two? We heard a good bit during the presidential election campaign about whether an individual had or hand not been rehabilitated. The big question that is asked is whether prison rehabilitates people. An experiment was carried out at Rikers Island in New York, which is probably one of the biggest penal colonies in the world. There is a system of gardening and horticultural work in the prison, and if people show a propensity to enjoy these things and develop themselves as a result, they are given a pathway to internships in federal national parks around the USA. Maybe we are missing an opportunity there, because mental health concerns and the threat of suicide in our prisons have hugely increased over the past few years.

It is an unanswerable case that nature and participation in enjoying the flora and fauna of the country, working as a team in generating growth, preserving plants and seeing species introduced are beneficial. We all realise, no matter how evil or distorted a person’s background has been, that these opportunities would be huge if people were given a chance to work with the Minister of State’s teams. I may be just demonstrating my ignorance because maybe this already exists. If it does, should be advanced because for a country with a population the size of ours to have almost 6,000 people locked up, sometimes for 23 hours a day, is so non-productive. I saw in the newspaper yesterday that it costs €100,000 per annum to keep one prisoner. Members can do the math on that. The overall sum involved is huge. What if we could divert that money to something more productive like internships or having people released on licence to work in the national parks? Obviously, we would not have the really bad criminals out there because that would not be safe, but it would not be beyond the knowledge and experience of the people who maintain the prisons to make a good shot at guessing who would be eligible or suitable for these programmes.

I have a final thing to say on a completely different matter. We tend to get communities all over the country asking particular places or areas are not turned being turned in national parks. I was probably guilty of doing that in the few words I said earlier. We should bear in mind that not every place in the country should be turned into a national park. You can over-manicure the wildlife and the natural resources of any country, and we should be aware of that as well.

PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I compliment him on the passion he shows for his role, which is clear for all to see. As Fine Gael’s spokesperson on biodiversity and heritage in the Seanad and as a lover of the natural world, I truly believe that the importance of national parks is not to be underestimated.

Approximately 1.4% of Ireland’s total land mass falls within our seven current functioning national parks. That is a total area of 98,436 ha. By European standards, this is a relatively small proportion of our land mass. However, our seven functioning national parks cover and protect a huge and diverse range of landscapes, terrain, flora and fauna. Within our seven national parks we have 25 species of mammal, 400 bird species, in excess of 12,000 insect species and more than 4,000 plant species. The 15,484 ha of Glenveagh National Park in Donegal support a number of important habitat types, ranging from pristine rivers and lakes to some of the highest mountain peaks in the country. This park is home to a number of plant and animal species of national and international importance and hosts some of our best habitat areas for species such as arctic alpines, mosses, liver worts, golden plovers, peregrine falcons and a large number of rare orchid species.

Wild Nephin National Park in Mayo, which becomes Mayo Dark Sky Park at night, covers 15,000 ha of unspoiled wilderness and is Ireland’s largest area without human inhabitants. With one of the last intact active blanket bog systems in western Europe, this very special park forms an important habitat for a number of rare species of flora and fauna such as Greenland white-fronted geese, red grouse and otters. This park also showcases some of the darkest, most pristine night skies in the world and is officially certified as a gold-tier-standard international dark sky park.

In my home county of Galway, we have the 2,000 ha Connemara National Park. Located within the magnificent Twelve Bens mountain range, this park is a haven for hill walkers who visit from all over the world. Connemara National Park is an integral member of the Irish Native Rare Breed Society and has dedicated great effort to the promotion and protection of domesticated livestock such as Connemara ponies, moiled cows, cladoir sheep, Galway sheep and old Irish goats. This is very important conservation work indeed and work we must support and facilitate in every way.

At my back door is the Burren National Park in north Clare and south Galway. This 1,800 ha park sits within Ireland’s most unique landscape.The limestone pavement of the Burren is Europe's largest and most magnificent karst landscape and a place I am very proud and happy to call my home. The landscape of the Burren has been home to people for millennia, with successive generations leaving the marks of their culture, traditions and agriculture on the landscape. Prehistoric monuments dot the landscape in this area, as well as the stone structures from our more recent past and the many thousands of kilometres of stone walls that frame the rare wildflower meadows in this region. I have on a number of occasions in the past in this House expressed my extreme concern about the disappearance of our stone walls in the west of Ireland. We have some very flawed regulations within some of our Department of agriculture environmental schemes that in many areas prohibit the maintenance of stone walls and financially reward the complete removal of neglected stone walls for their replacement with hedges. This is something I intend to address further in the House in the coming weeks.

Further south is the world famous Killarney National Park with its 10,000 ha of rugged beauty from the high peaks of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks to the lakes of Killarney. As well as the stunning beauty of the landscape, this park is home to the last surviving indigenous herd of Irish red deer. All other herds in the country descend from deer stock introduced into the country in the past. The Reenadinna Woods, which is western Europe's largest area of yew woodland, together with vast areas of flat peatlands, deciduous forests and grassland, form not only a great spectacle for the tourists, which is very important, but is also a vital habitat for so many of our indigenous species that must be treasured.

Moving to the Acting Chairperson's own county, the Wicklow Mountains National Park is our only functioning national park located on the eastern side of the country and is our largest national park. This 23,000 ha park, which is located on the doorstep of our capital city, offers walking and hiking opportunities as well as a chance for Dublin people to escape the urban world. This park has stunning beauty with lakes, woodlands and valleys, as well as St. Kevin's monastic settlement at Glendalough. After many decades of absence from Irish skies, the red kite is now a common sight again over the Wicklow national park. This reintroduction project has been one of the real success stories of raptor reintroduction into Ireland in recent years.

Our seventh national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, is situated both onshore and offshore at the Dingle peninsula. This park includes some of our most iconic islands, marine reefs and maritime sites. Vulnerable habitats for seabirds, wintering water birds, whales and dolphins are protected within this national park, as well as the world famous Sceilg Mhichíl and its ancient monastic settlement.

All of these parks form the jewels in the crown that is the Irish countryside. They fall under the protection of the National Parks and Wildlife Services. While I may not always agree with everything this State body does in terms of the suppression of the tradition of cutting turf in many of our smaller bogs, I compliment the NPWS on the management of our eight magnificent national parks. I also compliment the Minister of State on the increased funding that he has secured for the management of our national parks.

Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I am delighted for the chance to speak on national parks and wildlife and the importance of protecting them. We have heard about where all the main national parks are, namely, Connemara, Glenveagh, Killarney, Kerry, the Wicklow mountains and the Burren. However, I live in County Laois. When you are in the midlands, we are a little bit left behind, so I do not have a national park to talk about. However, it is also important to talk about the other biodiversity and conservation areas under the remit of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. There are several nature reserve areas in my own constituency of Laois and locally we are seeing the effects of the crisis in climate and biodiversity. In Mountmellick, Coolrain Bog and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, habitats have declined significantly in recent years. In the Slieve Bloom Mountains in particular, the iconic hen harrier, a species that once thrived there, now teeters on the brink. Therefore, it is great that a Government response plan is being published to save the hen harrier from extinction. That is welcome but we cannot ignore that this should have happened long ago. Years of underinvestment and policy neglect have brought us to this point. I commend the work of Senator Noonan in this area - he is here with us - and I acknowledge and welcome the 15% increase for nature and heritage in budget 2026. That is really welcome.

While any increase in resourcing for the National Parks and Wildlife Service is to be welcomed, we cannot ignore the reality before us. The current state of our special areas of conservation and special protection areas across the country is deeply concerning. The vast majority of our country's vital habitats remain in an unfavourable condition, which is partly due to years of neglect and inadequate funding. I commend the tireless staff of the NPWS, as other people have. The rangers, ecologists and conservation officers do extraordinary work protecting our parks, our wildlife and our natural heritage. They are working on the front line of biodiversity recovery, often with limited resources and under immense pressure. However, we are still miles away from what is needed. When I went looking into this more deeply and reached out to some biodiversity experts in County Laois, the figures spoke for themselves. Some 85% of Ireland's habitats are inadequate or in poor condition and 63% of Irish bird species are now on a list of concern, with 37% amber listed and 26% red listed, which is something I just learned. There is a big job ahead. These numbers reflect a systemic failure to treat biodiversity and it is sad that this is the reality in which we are living.

Sinn Féin, in our alternative budget, committed to €12 million in additional funding for the NPWS for staffing, resourcing and improved enforcement, and €1.3 million to increase biodiversity officers in local authorities by 50%. We also proposed a €10 million dedicated fund to expand the number of public parks and national woodlands across the State so that areas like County Laois could be included. This fund would allow local authorities to apply for assistance in purchasing or developing parcels of land for public use, parks, green spaces and native woodland. It would also support environmental NGOs like the Native Woodland Trust to protect existing woodland, purchase adjoining lands for natural expansion and to invest in new afforestation sites.

Increasing the number of public parks, green areas and native woodland cover does not just protect the biodiversity. It sequesters carbon dioxide, improves air quality, enhances public health and strengthens our connection with nature. We also need to be looking to the future. We must deliver on the EU nature restoration fund approved last year. Sinn Féin has committed to establishing a €300 million dedicated nature restoration fund, providing new supports for our farmers outside of CAP. Farmers are going to play a central role in restoring nature over the coming years but they must be supported with new ring-fenced funding that does not undermine their CAP payments. Will the Minister of State please look at this one for us?

Ireland will hold the EU Presidency in 2026 and we should be leading from the front and not playing catch-up. We should be setting an example in restoring our habitats, rewilding our landscapes and protecting the species that make our island of Ireland so unique.

To sum up, we really welcome the increase in the NPWS resourcing because our environment and our wildlife cannot wait. We see that from the figures. It is time for ambition and for proper investment.

Finally, County Laois has lots of good land and we would be open to looking at a national park there.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the next Senator, I welcome to the Public Gallery cousins of Senator Maria Byrne, Mary and Rose Murphy, who have travelled all the way from Cork. They will be delighted to know we have a Minister of State from Cork in the Chamber here today. I hope Senator Byrne will look after them for the rest of the day.

It is very unusual to see a current Senator and a former Minister of State whose heart and passion is in the portfolios he had.Therefore, we look forward to Senator Noonan's contribution.

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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Go raibh maith agat. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I continue to wish him good fortune in his Ministry. For me, as outgoing Minister of State, it has been fantastic to see that Deputy O'Sullivan has hit the ground running and is a Minister of State who cares for nature. To get it in two Government cycles is good for biodiversity, I have to say, and I wish the Minister of State continued success.

In the 93 years since our first national park was founded when the Muckross estate was handed over to the people of Ireland in Killarney, we have lost a huge amount, as the Minister of State will be aware, of our native habitats, semi-natural grasslands, woodlands, bird species and peatlands and we have a disconnected, fragmented habitat network right across the country, as has been said by the previous speaker. Our national parks give us a representative sample of what we should have in terms of the connectivity of nature. Up to 2024, we had six national parks. I was in the fortunate position to have brought Brú na Bóinne and Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara to fruition. Fantastic work was done by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to get those over the line, but also by the whole of the Government. It was not only a ministerial job; it had to be approved by the Government. The fact that the Government had the vision to bring two national parks into the frame speaks volumes about the care that we have for nature in this country.

I am hearing the comments from colleagues around inland and the midlands, be it a freshwater national park or a Slieve Bloom national park, which we looked at as well, specifically related to the hen harrier. It should be given active consideration. The good thing about bringing new national parks into the fray is it takes pressure off other national parks. Brú na Bóinne has the potential to take pressure off the Wicklow Mountains National Park, which comes under significant pressure from the greater Dublin area. Notwithstanding that, it would be fantastic if we could continue that trajectory. We have heard about the relatively small amount of land that our national parks take up, albeit that they continue to expand through land purchases.

My first encounter with our national parks, apart from visiting them, was joining for a couple of seasons the ground work crew in Killarney National Park and getting eaten alive by midges to take out rhododendron ponticum with mattocks - the old way. It was labour-intensive work, heading out in boats early in the morning and taking large tracks of rodo out of the parks. I commend the NPWS for the work that it has done in recent years in terms of rodo management. There have been different approaches to it in different national parks. Glenveagh has a different approach to Connemara, as does Killarney, but there is success happening. I commend the innovation that continues to take place.

The point I want to make generally here this afternoon is to praise the National Parks and Wildlife Service. As the Minister of State himself will be aware from having met them on the ground, not only in national parks but in other settings across the country, they are a remarkable group of civil servants. Their ability to innovate, be creative and use their own skills, be they general operatives, rangers or scientific staff such as ecologists, has been the hallmark of what they have achieved with scant resources, I would say, up to 2020. Certainly, even the investment we made then and over those intervening five budgetary cycles - and, thankfully, the welcome addition that the Minister of State has added in budget 2026 - has still been a modest investment for an agency that has in its care all of the State's biodiversity. They have done incredible work.

Added to that, which is unique in nature conservation here, is the amount of women who work in the National Parks and Wildlife Service - the amount of women who have come in as rangers in the last couple of years but also into other parts of the national parks services. They are really fantastic. It is wonderful to see that gender equality across the NPWS as well. I pay tribute to them because they are the real heroes in all of this. They are the people who are on the ground interfacing with landowners or farmers, working on invasive manage and working on deer management. That is a hugely important part of their role.

Separately, it is important to look at the educational role that is an intrinsic part of our national parks. We are here discussing our national parks specifically but there have also been broader conversations about nature. The education role that is played by the NPWS staff in the national parks is the critical element that will sow the seeds of a love of nature among young people that will stay with them through their lives. I pay tribute to the staff for that.

It is critical that there have been calls for legislation to underpin our national parks to define what they are. Members have all proposed or suggested other ideas for national parks in Ireland but we need legislation to underpin that. There are international definitions of what national parks are but having legislation to give due specific recognition to our national parks would be important in terms of looking at thresholds for visitor numbers, local communities having an active role in their development, looking at the economic, social and recreational role as well as the invaluable role that they play for nature and heritage, and looking as well at the increasing challenges that our national parks face from climate change because it will be a significant challenge, one that is playing out already. I have also seen the work, particularly in Killarney, where the staff have done considerable training on fire and firebreak management. That work should be ongoing but dedicated legislation for our national parks would be helpful in underpinning the invaluable work that they do and looking at the development of the park.

Particularly when Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara was brought over the line and the Conor Pass was purchased, there was a lot of talk about ecological dead zones and how there was nothing there but sheep, but part of the work of developing a national park has to be around developing management plans for them. That work is ongoing and there has been good engagement with the local communities around Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara and how it develops. Those management plans for all of our national parks are vital.

Today is an important day. It is probably the first time we have had a debate specifically related to our national parks. For Deputy O'Sullivan, as Minister of State, it is good to hear the views of Members in terms of what they want to see. The Irish people and our visitors take great pride in and get great enjoyment out of our national parks.

I remain deeply concerned about what is happening in relation to L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement, LIFE, projects and a proposal by the European Commission to subsume them into the so-called competitiveness fund. The LIFE projects have been invaluable in rural communities in Ireland. The Minister of State himself knows that; he has visited some of them. This is money that finds its way and embeds itself into rural Ireland and into rural communities doing actions and results-based schemes for farmers. If we lose that dedicated LIFE programme, we will lose an awful lot of momentum that we built up over the last four or five years.

I wish Deputy O'Sullivan continued success in his Ministry. The Minister of State has the support of this House in his endeavours.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, to the Seanad. Rarely have we had an opportunity to have a Minister of State so well matched to his brief. I acknowledge the former Minister of State, Senator Noonan's same passion, commitment, dedication and, indeed, expertise and knowledge.

I welcome the Minister of State's speech, in which he showed his clear commitment to where we were now and where we needed to go. It is quite incredible to think that, in 2020 when Senator Noonan came into the position, there was a budget of €28 million and now it is €78 million. It is thanks to both of them that we have that. Of course, money is needed but it is about more than money, too. It is about appealing to the hearts and minds of those who live in and come and visit Ireland about how we all need to work collectively to protect the biodiversity that we are so lucky to have in this country.

One of the areas I want to focus on - it will be no surprise to Senator Noonan or to the Minister of State - is the Curragh. As the Minister of State will be aware, it was agreed in the programme for Government that a conservation plan for the Curragh would be implemented and as part of that, that there would be a management plan to ensure preservation, with careful consideration in relation to which agency would be best suited to this historic landscape.I think the NPWS would be the one that is best suited. Why does the Curragh of Kildare deserve this? I appeal to the Minister of State to examine the possibility of the Curragh becoming a national park. The State has had to purchase areas to become national parks in the past. In this case, the land is already in the ownership of the State, albeit under the management of the Department of Defence at this point.

The Curragh deserves this status to protect its unique ecological, historical and cultural significance, as well as to ensure its proper management. We have a lot of ongoing threats such as environmental damage and antisocial behaviour. I introduced a Bill to amend the Curragh of Kildare Act to stop illegal encampments. Unfortunately, we see these every year, from Easter through to Hallowe'en. Millions of euro have been spent cleaning up waste, etc. It is beyond time that we had the proper controls in place.

The Curragh is Ireland's largest inland open plain and one of the largest in Europe. It is one of the largest areas with ancient grassland and it is important that we conserve and preserve it. The Curragh has rare flora and fauna and important archaeological sites, such as the Gibbet Rath and Donnelly's Hollow. It is home to the racing industry and to the Army. It is a fabulous area for people to walk and explore. The benefits include that it would involve professional stewardship, which is what we need. It would encourage responsible tourism and community involvement and unlock resources for trails, signage and proper parking. Unfortunately, many cars pull up on the Curragh and they are destroying it.

It is not just about preserving land; it is about honouring Ireland's natural and cultural heritage, as well as ensuring its future legacy. I would welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, to Kildare. I know he passes the Curragh on a regular basis. I ask him to stop off. We would be delighted to show him some of the jewels in Kildare's crown.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach. The Minister of State is welcome. I thank him for accepting the invitation to come here to talk about our national parks. I also join other Senators in paying tribute to his predecessor, Senator Noonan, in his former role as Minister with responsibility for heritage. I also acknowledge the increase in investment that has been brought to bear over the past number of years and what is also planned for the future.

I should say, as per my Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO, returns, that my brothers have been involved in some fencing contractual works for the National Parks and Wildlife Service. I just want to put on the record. We now have eight national parks, two of which are to open in the coming period. I ask the Minister of State to give a timeline for the opening of the seventh and eighth parks, Dowth Hall and Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí. I also acknowledge the growth of the workforce in our national parks, particularly is some of the more rural communities. The jobs they provide are hugely important in those communities. A full-time job in the public service, be it in the national parks or elsewhere, is hugely important in an area such as Letterfrack for sustaining a community. That should be acknowledged.

Our national parks have numerous roles. They have a role in education, with school tours and people dropping in to learn about the history of an area. They have a recreational role for hillwalking, for people going for a stroll on a Saturday or Sunday, for active retirement groups and for people to get a breath of fresh air in rural areas. Again, I am used to Letterfrack and Diamond Hill, which is in a beautiful part of the world. Our national parks also have an important role in protecting nature and biodiversity.

The Minister of State's statement refers to the Department having 98,000 ha of national parks. I suppose the ambition is to move to 100,000 ha, which is a nice round figure. I suspect that someone has thought of that. In terms of the additional funding the Department has received, will the Minister of State outline what its plans are? Are their places the Department has an ambition to engage with landowners on?

One issue comes up from time to time, and it would be remiss of me not to raise it when the Minister of State is here, as I have said to regional NPWS staff, is that farmers and others are concerned that the State is in competition with them when it comes to purchasing land. I heard it at Maam Cross mart when I was there last Saturday. It would be remiss of me not to say that there is some concern. To balance that, additional staffing means workers in rural areas are buying from local suppliers. The National Parks and Wildlife Service is a spender in local communities, purchasing various pieces of equipment, etc., for the running of the national parks. That is, however, a concern that comes up from time to time. It comes up at Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, meetings and it also came up before the last election.

Rewilding has grown in popularity in recent years. Some of it is happening naturally and some of it is planned in terms of the reduction in stocking rates. There are many examples outside the national parks in some natural habitats, as well as in special areas of conservation, SACs. On the issue of SACs, when lands located in a SAC or a natural heritage area, NHA, are sold, the new owner is not notified that they are in an SAC or NHA. I do not know how it can be done, but there should be a better way, be it through auctioneers, the Land Registry or whatever. The onus is on landowners to protect the area but they are not notified that their land is within an SAC of NHA. Sometimes the boundary is not quite clear. That should be looked at.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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I will declare a conflict of interest. I am a privileged Senator in that I live in Glendalough, which is in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Sometimes, we take the significance of that for granted. I acknowledge the incredible service that the staff in the National Parks and Wildlife Service provide specifically in Wicklow and also in the broader context. The way they communicate with the communities they are involved with is important because it leads to getting a lot more done by bringing everybody on board. The challenge for the national parks is trying to strike a balance between protection, education and promotion. We all have to be realistic. The national parks in Ireland are probably our single greatest asset when it comes to tourism and the country's tourism potential. It is about striking that balance between protecting and educating people about the environment, while promoting that environment as one of our greatest national assets.

We all have challenges and Glendalough, no different from anywhere else, has significant challenges. I served on the national parks council in Wicklow. I hope to revive that interest shortly. Our best time in Glendalough was when Dúchas was established. A number of State bodies came together under one organisation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service headed by Seán Casey at the time. We got an incredible amount of work done. While we have a fantastic master plan in Glendalough, there are seven State bodies involved, with no direct lead trying to resolve the difficulties in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Some of our other State bodies need to learn from how the National Parks and Wildlife Service does it. They too should follow the same example moving forward.

In the short time I have left, I want to discuss deer management. It is a significant issue in Wicklow.The numbers have increased because, during the years of Covid, we probably did not get the culling required. For the deer species itself, it is nearly overpopulated at this stage and it is probably in its own interest.

My final request is, Wicklow national park expanded by more than 4,900 acres back in 2016. We also have a beautiful gem and nature reserve called the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow. I know the Minister of State has been lobbied on this matter. There is a specific piece of land directly adjoining the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve that is already a woodland and ideal for purchase. I sincerely hope the Minister of State will look on that in relation to expanding that specific nature reserve.

I was part of the red kites programme in Wicklow and they have gone from the area they were released in Woodenbridge all up the east coast and we begin to see the red kite present again in our daily lives.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. Our national parks are critical for our people and communities. They provide a space we can all go to for recreation. However, trying to find that balance can be difficult.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for being with us today to discuss this really important issue. As he mentioned in his opening remarks, it is vital we are discussing this and bringing it to the fore. As we debate the protection of the future of our national parks, I will take this opportunity to raise a matter that is very close to my heart and the hearts of the people in Macroom and mid-Cork, which the future of the Gearagh. I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with it, being from where he is from, but for those who are not, the Gearagh is one of Ireland's unique natural landscapes. It is a submerged woodland of ancient oaks and waterways and is home to rare birdlife, fish species and plant communities that are found nowhere else in the country. It is very much a place of ecological importance but it is also of deep cultural and historical value. It is a living reminder of what Ireland's great forests once looked like, as well as the community it helped.

For many years now, local groups, environmental advocates and community leaders have spoken about the potential to designate the Gearagh as a national park. I believe this would give the Gearagh the recognition and protection it deserves while also supporting sustainable tourism and educational opportunities for the wider region. It would expand Ireland's network of protected areas, promote biodiversity and strengthen the connection between rural communities and conservation. A national park designation would not only safeguard the ecology of the Gearagh but would also create lasting benefits for Macroom, Inchigeelagh, Lee Valley and the surrounding areas, encouraging visitors, supporting local enterprise and giving pride of place to one of Cork's greatest natural treasures. However, this must be done in partnership with the community, with landowners, anglers, farmers and local organisations all represented at the table. We know from the past that when local people are part of the process, the results are better, stronger and, in general, longer lasting. I therefore urge the Minister of State to begin a structured consultation with all relevant stakeholders: NPWS, Cork County Council, the ESB, local heritage groups and the people who live beside and care for the Gearagh, to explore the practical steps required to achieve national park status. This is a moment of opportunity for mid-Cork to protect a place of immense natural beauty, to promote sustainable rural development and to leave a legacy future generations will thank us for and which has not been done up to this point. I believe the Gearagh deserves nothing less.

On a separate note and as has been mentioned already by my colleague Senator Flaherty, I raise the memorandum of understanding between the NPWS and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, which was signed earlier this year. While we have seen a lot of progress and developments since the signing of that memorandum of understanding and the practical co-operation it can lead to in the countryside, the announcement of a review of this memorandum without consultation or notice to the NARGC caused quite a bit of upset and confusion as to why this was done without consultation, and I ask the Minister of State why that was. If the review is approached in a collaborative and transparent way with input from all stakeholders, it can improve trust, enhance the framework and build confidence for the rural sector. Key to any of these negotiations or communications is always transparency and coherence, bound by a shared commitment to our conservation. I believe all groups involved in this are committed to conservation.

I believe deeply that conservation and rural life are not opposing forces, though at times it can be perceived that they are. The people who live closest to nature are often its greatest guardians and we need to respect that. When the Government recognises this and when it listens, includes and trusts our rural communities, we all benefit.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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When Senator Casey was doing his declaration of interest, I thought he was going to tell us he owned the whole national park.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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I wish I did.

Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)
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I, too, declare that I am a member of the NARGC and have been for a number of years. I was nominated by it to stand for election to this House. Members of the House will be aware the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Regional Game Councils of Ireland agreed a memorandum of understanding, MOU, providing a clear and positive framework for collaboration, communication and shared objectives in the protection and management of Ireland's natural heritage. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, for his leadership and engagement in supporting this agreement and for the constructive relationship he has forged with the NARGC from the outset in the signing of the MOU and subsequent correspondence. It was particularly evident in the launch of the mink eradication programme, and it would be remiss of me not to mention the breeding wader initiative also, which was launched by our colleague in this House, Senator Noonan, when he was Minister of State. Senator Flaherty and Senator Lynch have also raised this matter.

I also welcome the Minister of State's support for establishing a countryside forum for nature and a long-standing proposal of the NARGC to provide a structured space for open dialogue among all countryside stakeholders. Such a forum can play a vital role in addressing shared challenges in conservation, wildlife management and rural sustainability in a collaborative way. It is very important we engage with all stakeholders in a collaborative way to protect a sustainable environment.

My colleague has raised the following issue, so I will not rehash it, but the NARGC has expressed concerns regarding the recent confirmation that a review of the MOU is being initiated. This has caused some concerns among its members, and the council hopes the Minister of State will address this, maybe even today, and that it would be back at the table when it comes to any decisions begin made. I thank the Minister of State for his time and for taking the opportunity to come to this House. It is an issue that is close to all of our hearts.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Brady. I do not think we have any other speakers so I ask the ask the Minister of State to conclude and respond. I know there were an awful number of issues raised. My apologies, Senator Boyle would like to speak. We have kept the best until last.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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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.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Boyle. I give my apologies again and ask the Minister of State at the second time of asking to respond. He has had more time to think about it now.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I will need more time to answer as well. Could I get one extra minute at the end? Could the Acting Chair do that for me?

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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Yes. If the Minister of State gives us national parks, we will give him all the time he wants.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I am blown away and heartened by the number of contributions, the level of contributions and the passion in the contributions. It is great to see this level of interest across the House. I would love to see that level of passion replicated in the Dáil as well. I will try to get to as many of the points raised by the Senators, starting with Senator Flaherty in the Chair. He acknowledged the efforts of the then Minister of State, Senator Noonan, which came across well. I might not have hammed it up enough in my opening speech. I thought I had covered all bases. The Senator was extraordinary in the role he did and bringing the National Parks and Wildlife Service from where it was to where it is now. They are big shoes to fill and there is a big onus on me to continue that work. I again thank Senator Noonan for that.

The Senator is right that there is no freshwater national park. I have been to Lough Ree. I have been to visit the breeding waders programme there and the Black Islands. It is an extraordinary place, it really is. It definitely gets you thinking as to whether it merits national park status. I am certainly sold on it in terms of the scale and size of it. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has acquired land there and will seek to acquire more in collaboration but the Senator has hit the nail on the head in terms of the traditional form of farming. I love the collaboration there between the farmers, the type of grazing management they do and how that then encourages breeding waders to flourish, respond and increase in numbers. It certainly merits further investigation and I will pursue that even further.

I will touch on the NARGC because many Senators raised that issue. It is a group I am more than willing to work with. I like the collaboration we have seen so far. The mink eradication was mentioned. I genuinely see gun clubs across Ireland as a key tool in nature preservation in helping breeding waders and helping monitor our bird species, including duck species. There is key data that the gun clubs have that we can really use in terms of preserving nature. The one commonality is that we all care about the preservation of nature. The memorandum of understanding, MOU, is being reviewed because all our Department's MOUs are being reviewed. We have not just pinpointed the NARGC. Unfortunately, I am limited in terms of what I can say in public or what I can say in this forum because of an ongoing judicial review, which creates problems. Other than that, I cannot say much more other than I really want to continue to work with the NARGC and the conservation efforts on which we have already embarked.

TB is certainly an issue for the Department of agriculture. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, recently announced a TB eradication scheme. Something to keep in mind is that there was a recent survey done and 85% of the thousands of badgers that were culled were free of TB. We have to be careful in terms of how we approach this. Certainly, there is no intention to reduce culling rates at the moment but increasing it could create problems in terms of those levels of badgers that are free of TB. We have to be careful that we do not use a sledgehammer to break a nut.

Senator Joe Conway called for a midlands national park, which is something I will pursue and look at. It is good that he mentioned the corn crake as well. We are hearing it again and seeing a bounceback throughout the west coast.

It was great to see Senator Murphy's vast knowledge of national parks and the different species that live within them. He kind of took the wind out of my sails, to be honest, in terms of going through all the different species, habitats and scenery that you see. I will make special mention of the Burren, which is extraordinary. Visiting the Burren taught me a lot about how managed grazing, farming and working with farmers can create this unbelievable tapestry of habitats. Essentially, the Burren is a man-made national park in many ways. It formed over many centuries because of the different land uses. We now have this absolute gem of a limestone grassland national park, which we have every intention of keeping that way. The stone walls are one of the most important features there. The stone walls are an essential habitat for many species. I really look forward to hearing about the initiative coming online in terms of protecting stone walls. From a heritage point of view, and as I have said to the Senator before, if there is anything I can do to help, I certainly will.

In response to Senator McCormack, Laois has lots of amazing bogland. It really does. I would not rule that out. It is a unique habitat. Laois has some of the most important, pristine boglands. Not far from Laois but in the Senator's own constituency, Lough Boora is an example of what can be done with reclaimed bogs and protecting species to see them flourish. For example, we have seen the crane breed in Ireland once again for the first time this millennium because of the level of collaboration and work that goes on there. I cannot overstep the mark to say whether we will have a Laois national park but it certainly is a fabulous county. That proves the point that right throughout Ireland, we have some of the most extraordinary habitats. It is just about protecting it. They have been degraded and going in the wrong direction for far too long but with the work that the then Minister of State, Senator Noonan, did and, hopefully, I can continue, we can start to see that reversed.

Very few could speak with the knowledge Senator Noonan has. I will come back to the park staff, including rangers, in a minute. The Senator knows, as he has met them. They are extraordinary people. The passion they have is infectious. When I meet them, it spurs me on to do more. If everyone could get a little drop of that level of passion they have for nature, wildlife and for their patch, Ireland's wildlife and biodiversity outlook would be so much better. I do not think they see themselves as working a day in their lives. That is the way I would put it.

The national park legislation will 100% look at that. There are other legislative measures that the Senator did not have time to get through in that short five years that I would love to talk about progressing with him.

On the LIFE projects, the Senator should take some comfort in the fact that if Europe does not step up to the mark by continuing to fund the LIFE projects, we will. The National Parks and Wildlife Service sees an important role for itself in that. Generally, LIFE projects are only five years long anyway, so there has to be life after LIFE projects. We see an important role for ourselves in that, whether it is under the farm plans, collaboration with agriculture or something else. That is really important.

In response to Senator Loughlin, I will of course come to visit the Curragh, which I pass every single week. I completely appreciate the nature, value and heritage of it. I promise the Senator I will visit the Curragh. We will do a trip around to see all aspects of what makes it the special place it is. It is amazing in many ways but it is a shame in other ways because we have seen the habit there really being degraded. I would love to see a management plan kick in so that we can see it come back.

Senator Kyne is not here today but he is living very near to the Connemara National Park, which is absolutely extraordinary. In the grand scheme of things, the Nation Parks and Wildlife Service is still a very small landowner. We are not looking to outcompete farmers in terms of purchasing land. It is done on a very small scale in the grand scheme of things.When we purchase land, there are conversations to be had about how that can be managed. That may include, for example, rare breeds of cattle, etc.

Senator Casey lives in a national park. We are all jealous. He will have to invite me down for a cup of tea sometime when I am down there. It is an extraordinary spot. I am ashamed to say it is the only national park I have not visited in an official capacity, but I have been there on numerous occasions unofficially. It is an extraordinary spot. With regard to Glendalough, I know the patch of land the Senator has lobbied for a long time for the State to purchase to increase the size of the Glen of the Downs. I agree it would be a good strategic move and something we should pursue. Obviously, with land sales, you have to be careful in terms of undermining any of those discussions that may be happening, but I assure the Senator that I will actively pursue and look into the increase of the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve through acquisition, which would be very welcome.

Senator Lynch mentioned the Gearagh, which is very close to my heart and very close to where I live, even though it is in a different constituency. While the size of it may not merit a national park, there is a discussion to be had. Its current ownership is within the ESB and I would love to reach out to it to see if it would work with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to create a real landmark, best-in-class nature reserve where we could showcase the wildlife there.

I have already touched on Senator Brady’s point about the NARGC. I am always open to conversation but, again, with the ongoing judicial review, we have to be careful of what we say. I have enjoyed its collaboration so far.

To address Senator Boyle’s point, Glenveagh National Park is stunning. I have been there a couple of times in an official capacity. Its approach to conservation, eradication of invasive species and deer control is really hitting the nail on the head up there. That is why there is this amazing tapestry of habitats, which the Senator spoke about.

Our national parks are the jewel in the crown. They cover the most stunning and spectacular scenery we have in this country and they are unique. Glenveagh National Park is one of the few places where people can see golden eagles soaring over their heads. Head down to Wild Nephin National Park and people will find this incredible dark sky reserve. Connemara has these beautiful peaks and mountains. The Burren is one of the unique places on the planet with the limestone and the grasslands there. Killarney has its lakes and the white-tailed eagles are becoming far more common there because of the release project. In Wicklow, we have those gorgeous glens right on the doorstep of our capital city. It is such a great way for people to explore.

My message to people, even though we have to be responsible in how we enjoy our national parks, is to get out there and explore them. They are 100% free. There is no charge to enter our national parks. We do not have that everywhere. We are unique in that regard. Get out there and enjoy them because the more people who go into our national parks and realise, enjoy and love the beauty of nature, the better outcomes we will have for nature. We will then start to see this policy change because there will be pressure, like Senators are putting on us today, to improve nature and to see better outcomes for nature.

The rangers, ecologists and general operatives who work in our national parks are extraordinary. As I meet them in our national parks, they are so proud of their patch. They are so excited to show me their area of natural beauty, the ecology and the work that they are doing on invasive species and plant, animal and insect life. I liken it to a child showing you their Lego collection. They get excited. That is what it is like. That level of passion only augurs well for nature in Ireland. I thank them for that.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for a very informative and passionate discussion. Sula mbogfaidh muid ar aghaidh, is mian liom fáilte a chur roimh na cuairteoirí san Áiléar Poiblí. I welcome our visitors to the Gallery. These are guests of the Ceann Comhairle and they are members of the Antiques Ireland group. If they are looking to buy a bit of stuff, they have come too late. The FitzGeralds sold off most of the stuff in 1815. We unfortunately cannot sell them anything today, as much as some of us might like.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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There are a few antiques around here.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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They are about 200 years too late, but if things ever go bad, we might be able to. I hope they enjoy their day. It is a wonderful, historic building with a lot of history. I am sure they, more than anyone else, will appreciate the history of the building.