Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which he has had discussions with cultural and or heritage groups in the context of the Gathering 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13360/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, The Gathering initiative undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, has the strong support of my Department and the agencies under my Department's remit.

A range of actions being taken to support The Gathering were outlined in my replies to Question No 13 of 30 January 2013 and Question No 16 of 28 November 2012. The national cultural institutions under the auspices of my Department have prepared a comprehensive response to The Gathering. As outlined previously, the Arts Council is playing an ongoing key role in funding and developing arts events around the county during 2013. In terms of the Gaeltacht, Údarás na Gaeltachta has a dedicated scheme to support traditional festivals in the Gaeltacht intends, when assessing applications for such festivals in 2013, to place particular emphasis on activities aimed at attracting visitors to Ireland as part of The Gathering.

Tourists arriving as part of The Gathering, particularly those from amongst the 70 million people abroad who claim Irish ancestry, will be particularly interested in heritage sites. Last September, I launched two new websites which aim to highlight some of our lesser-known sites – national monuments and heritage buildings that are open to the public but which tend to be only visited by those very familiar with the particular area in which they are situated. It is hoped that these new "Places to See" and "Monuments to Visit" websites will assist in encouraging tourists to visit locations that might not otherwise be on their itineraries and also assist people welcoming relatives and friends from abroad as part of The Gathering to be able to identify locations nearby that will interest visitors. My Department will also continue to cooperate closely with the Office of Public Works to further enhance the tourism value of our built heritage.

I am informed that the Heritage Council has made a submission to Fáilte Ireland regarding the international marketing of Heritage Week 2013 to link in with ‘The Gathering’. In addition, in 2013 the Heritage Council is grant-aiding a genealogist post in the organisation Ireland Reaching Out, a Diaspora focused organization that is contracted to support The Gathering. I also understand that Local Authority Heritage Officers, whose employment is financially supported by the Heritage Council, sit on County Committees for The Gathering 2013 around the country.

In summary, therefore, I consider that a substantial contribution to The Gathering initiative is underway in both the cultural and heritage areas.