Written answers
Thursday, 6 July 2006
Department of Finance
Architectural Heritage
6:00 pm
Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of historical sites in County Clare maintained by the Office of Public Works; the annual number of visitors to each site for each of the years 2001 to 2005; the investment in each of these sites for each of the years 2001 to 2005 and the corresponding figure spent on promotion of these sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27437/06]
Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)
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There are 36 monument sites in the care of the Office of Public Works in County Clare. The following table outlines expenditure on conservation work at these sites from 2001 to 2005. Routine maintenance of the sites (cleaning/grasscutting etc) is carried out by the staff from the National Monuments Depot in Athenry but it is not possible to give a breakdown for individual sites.
| Expenditure at National Monuments in County Clare for period 2001-2005 | |
| Monument | 2001-2005 |
| Burren Monuments* | 687,355.04 |
| Ennis Friary | 241,808.30 |
| Kilfenora Cathedral | 1,237,608.40 |
| Quin Abbey | 654,618.25 |
| Scattery Island | 1,254,436.63 |
| Poulnabrone | 246,309.98 |
| Annual Breakdown | |||||
| Monuments | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
| Burren Monuments* | 224,812.00 | 88,022.93 | 185,433.80 | 60,241.33 | 128,844.98 |
| Ennis Friary | 112,775.00 | 96,954.57 | 22,722.21 | 0 | 9,356.52 |
| Kilfenora Cathedral | 48,000.00 | 342,990.56 | 408,153.84 | 238,786.50 | 199,677.50 |
| Quin Abbey | 264,511.00 | 274,647.24 | 115,460.01 | 0 | 0 |
| Scattery Island | 168,359.00 | 460,214.84 | 327,862.93 | 297,999.86 | 0 |
| Poulnabrone | 33,820.00 | 102,225.49 | 39,210.49 | 28,503.98 | 42,550.02 |
| *The Burren Monuments Strategy includes projects at the following sites: | |||||
| ∙Leamaneh Castle | |||||
| ∙Corcomroe Abbey | |||||
| ∙Cahercommaun Stone Fort, and | |||||
| ∙Cahermór Stone Fort |
A Guide Service is provided seasonally at the Scattery Island monastic site and at Ennis Friary. The number of visitors to those sites in each of the years from 2001 to 2005 is shown on the following table:
| Year | Total Visitors | |
| Scattery Island | Ennis Friary | |
| 2001 | 1,803 | 14,539 |
| 2002 | 1,267 | 15,201 |
| 2003 | 1,524 | 15,226 |
| 2004 | 2,004 | 13,379 |
| 2005 | 1,722 | 15,896 |
The numbers of visitors to the non-staffed sites are not recorded.
In line with its marketing strategy, heritage sites that are managed by OPW are promoted collectively in partnership with the Regional Tourism Authorities and Shannon Development. Brochures that provide necessary visitor information are distributed at staffed OPW-managed heritage sites and through the Tourist Information Offices network. The sites are, in addition, promoted through a website, heritageireland.ie. The OPW-maintained sites in County Clare are promoted collectively in partnership with Shannon Development. It is not possible, therefore, to quantify the expenditure on the marketing of individual OPW-managed heritage sites in County Clare.
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