Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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223. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the measures that will be put in place to open OPW sites which are currently closed to the public, in particular Athlumney Castle, Navan, County Meath. [27616/17]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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A total of almost 1,000 individual National Monuments in State care at approx 768 locations around the country are managed and maintained by the Office of Public Works. These includes sites that are in full State ownership and others that are privately-owned, where Guardianship arrangements exist and where the OPW provides maintenance services.

As a general policy, OPW facilitates visitor access to as many National Monument sites as possible with a view to both fostering interest in and awareness of our heritage and as part of Ireland’s supporting infrastructure for tourism. Access is not always feasible because of a range of issues such as ongoing conservation works, physical location, risks associated with dangerous structures and restrictions imposed in some cases by landowners who may wish to limit access, either temporarily or more longer term, because of insurance fears, livestock etc. OPW estimates that approx 10 - 15% of the accessible National Monument sites in its care are not available at any given time for these such reasons.

While many sites are obviously open to visitors with Guides services and visitor facilities; the majority of properties within the heritage portfolio are largely unattended. A significant number of locations are generally open on a fulltime basis and visitors are free to wander at will. At other sites measures are in place to protect them while still facilitating the public who wish to enter and Athlumney Castle is one such location. OPW maintains a total network of 110 Caretakers and Keyholders at various places around the country and their role is to be available to provide visitors with a key to access the site. At Athlumney, this controlled access mechanism is made available through a locally appointed Keyholder as it was considered, following previous incidents of antisocial behavior at the site, that access should to be regulated. I understand that the sign on the site entrance advertising this service was damaged recently and had to be removed. This may have created erroneous impression that the site is no longer open to the public.

I can confirm therefore that visitors are still fully able to access Athlumney Castle and there should be no fears that there has been any change in the position in this regard. Arrangements are being made to have the necessary signage replaced shortly so visitors will be directed appropriately.