I will start by speaking about a lot of the good work being done in County Galway to enhance our tourist offerings and support the many businesses and community organisations which contribute an awful lot to our history and heritage. I attended the 25th anniversary of the Athenry Heritage Centre last week and it was a fantastic occasion. The centre has been very successful in promoting Athenry as a heritage town and attracting visitors to the area. Huge credit should go to all involved in the local community. Athenry is a town with significant tourism potential given our rich and unique history and heritage. It is fair to say that potential has not been fully realised. I acknowledge the many great efforts being made by community organisations to rectify that, and indeed by Galway County Council through the Athenry town team in terms of particular heritage spaces in the town. I hope those efforts are fully supported by the Government and the tourism authorities. Last week, I attended the launch of the Yeats-Gregory explorer bus at Coole Park. This bus service that will run regularly through the summer months, linking all the key heritage, cultural and historical attractions across south Galway, including Coole, the Kiltartan Gregory Museum, Thoor Ballylee, Kilmacduagh and Gort town centre. It is a fantastic initiative that should be replicated elsewhere. Huge credit to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Galway County Council and Fáilte Ireland for supporting it. There is a lot of positive work going on. I raise Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. The castle has been closed for the past three years. It is an enormous loss to the community and wider region, especially now as we come into the summer months and the height of the tourist season. It is a huge, missed opportunity for Kinvara and surrounding areas. This is an iconic landmark right on the Wild Atlantic Way that has been left essentially abandoned. One of our greatest tourist and heritage assets in County Galway has been left closed to the public indefinitely. We have tourists standing outside every single day who want to enter but cannot do so. I am getting hundreds of emails from locals and tourists alike who cannot understand why this is being allowed to continue. It is causing enormous frustration. The core of this issue is funding. While Galway County Council is willing to acquire the castle from the Shannon Group and reopen it, it cannot do so without Government funding to bring the castle up to a safe standard. Why is the Government hesitating about providing the funding required? All we hear are excuses from different Ministers passing the buck between Departments. It seems no one is willing to take responsibility for this situation. The frustrating part is the Government did it before when it provided significant funding to Clare and Limerick county councils to acquire sites like Bunratty Castle and St. John's Castle from the Shannon Group. There is precedent here. We are asking for fair play and for the same funding to be provided to Galway County Council and Kinvara to get Dunguaire Castle reopened. I ask the Minister of State to consider coming down to the area to visit Kinvara and the castle to see the huge missed opportunity for himself. He could engage with representatives and stakeholders in the local community. This situation cannot persist any longer.

Sentiment score: 0.25