Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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40. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress to date in developing new tourism amenities (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24357/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In May 2021, under the Platforms for Growth Programme, Fáilte Ireland approved a grant of €4.8 million to Cavan County Council to support the development and delivery of the Shannon Pot Discovery Centre and Cavan Burren Park project. In April 2024, an additional €2.6 million was approved by Fáilte Ireland which brings the total amount of funding up to €7.4 million towards total project costs of €10 million.

The official turning of the sod on this project will take place in June 2024, with construction getting underway this summer.

The project proposes the delivery of a world-class visitor experience in the northern region of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. This will consist of a brand-new visitor experience, “The Shannon Pot Discovery Centre”, and enhancement of the existing Cavan Burren Park. Both sites are part of the cross-Border Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark and are linked via the Cavan Way and are located 5km apart. Together, the two sites, The Shannon Pot and Cavan Burren Park, promise to create a unique and exciting experience.

The river Shannon itself, along with its lakes and inland waterways, is an integral part of the tourism offering in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. Fáilte Ireland provided funding to Waterways Ireland to lead on the preparation of a tourism masterplan for the Shannon, including the Shannon-Erne Waterway.?Projects in Cavan include the development of signature interpretation points along the Shannon-Erne Waterway, a project that has been commissioned by Waterways Ireland and the project is progressing well.

Cavan will form part of the area covered by Fáilte Ireland’s Upper Shannon, Shannon-Erne and Border Destination and Experience Development Plan which is due to be launched before the end of the year.

Another significant piece of work underway is the Beara Breifne Way. This is a unique grassroots community-led initiative and the largest community-based project undertaken in Ireland to date. Its development has been supported by stakeholders including the Heritage Council, Fáilte Ireland and the local authorities along the trail. The Beara Breifne Way comprises 12 existing National Waymarked Ways, spanning 700km through counties Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Cavan.

The section of the Beara Breifne way along the Cavan Way takes the walker past the Shannon Pot and on to the Cavan Burren and will link in with the Shannon Pot Discovery Centre currently being developed under the Fáilte Ireland Platforms for Growth programme.