Seanad debates
Thursday, 13 June 2024
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Heritage Sites
9:30 am
Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell to the House and call Senator Seery Kearney.
Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting my matter today. The Minister of State is very welcome and I am delighted he is in as Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works when this an Office of Public Works issue. That is really good news. I have had the privilege of working with the Chapelizod historical society and a lot of those same individuals are in Chapelizod Tidy Towns. They are the most passionate, committed, wonderful people to have the honour of working with because they are so active on the ground. Chapelizod has an amazing history but right at the heart of it, as you go into the Phoenix Park, a cromlech was discovered about 200 years ago. It is a small dolmen and a piece of our nation's heritage that goes back 5,000 years. Remains and jewellery were found under it. It was a most amazing find and there is a whole piece on it in the visitor's centre of the Phoenix Park. Everything about it is there, including the history and how extraordinary it is. Yet, here you have the cromlech that has been weather-beaten and left to crack under the heavy snows that fell a couple of years ago. The Chapelizod historical society has been raising the need for this to be preserved and protected for 20 years. At one stage, it proposed having a perspex cover over the top of it to stop a terrible crack in it from getting worse. It has been repaired over the years.
Various commitments were given and its importance noted but actually getting the finger out and doing something about it did not happen until a heavy duty vehicle crashed into it and broke a piece off in the last 18 months. It took until something that had stood there for 5,000 years actually got broken to do something. It caused untold damage to the monument itself but the heartache and grief of those who have been passionate about this was awful. There was a profound sense of loss and abandonment. We brought through a heritage Bill here from the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and I had raised it and asked him to come out to it on several occasions. He never once made a commitment to do so. He said he would but he never replied to any offers I put to him. It took until it was damaged before the OPW stepped up. I had believed it was a heritage issue; it is actually an OPW issue.
To be fair, the Chapelizod historical society held an event with the outgoing Lord Mayor of Dublin and invited me to it because its members and I have been passionate about this. At that event, officials of the Office of Public Works came forward and spoke about the repair of the damage and what they were going to do. They committed to engaging with the residents and the locals and I really believed them. On the day, I asked them if this was for real, as we have been talking about it for a long time and they said it absolutely was. They were not prepared to commit to a timeline and as you can imagine, things like that undermine confidence. I was eager to get it straight from the horse's mouth, that is, from the Minister of State, to find out where we are at with this cromlech. Let us see progress and let us see our 5,000 year old heritage protected.
Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senator Seery Kearney for raising this important issue about the cromlech in the Phoenix Park. I acknowledge the work of Chapelizod historical society and it is a project that Senator Seery Kearney has been with from the start. To give context, the cromlech has many names. It is called the Knockmaree or Knockmary dolmen or cist, the Knockmaree Linkardstown grave or simply the Linkardstown tomb. It is, as the Senator said, around 5,000 years old. The capstone measures around 2 m in length and 1 m in width and is supported by four slabs. It has a modern concrete pillar for stability. The underground chamber has a floor of compacted clay.
The cromlech was discovered in 1838 by workmen who were employed by the then commissioners of woods and forests to remove an ancient tumulus. When discovered, there were two almost complete male skeletons in the crouched position found inside the chamber. The artifacts found in the burial, which include a flint knife and a shell necklace, can now be found in the National Museum of Ireland. It is located close to the Chapelizod pedestrian entrance of the Phoenix Park. The Commissioners of Public Works, through their management of the Phoenix Park, also take care of the recorded monuments within. The Office of Public Works is committed to the repair and protection of the historically important cromlech. The cromlech is protected by the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 and is a recorded monument RMP DU18 - 007011. Unfortunately, the cromlech has been damaged a number of times over the course of its history. There are photographs from the 1970s that show the cromlech in pieces on the ground. It was extensively repaired with dowels at this time.
As the Senator stated, the Office of Public Works met the community at an event held by the Chapelizod historical society at the cromlech itself in the Phoenix Park. This focused on the required repair works to address the most immediate damage and making future plans for the protection of such an important site.The OPW, with the National Monuments Service, intends to make the necessary repairs to the current damage to the cromlech capstone. There is a set process to ensure the works are carried out appropriately. First, the OPW submitted a ministerial notification to the Department of Housing and Local Government earlier this month. This is a standard requirement for all recorded monuments. A two-month notification period is required in advance of any proposed works. Where the Department has any queries or requires further information, this will be provided. However, if there are no requests for further information from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, then the Office of Public Works intends to complete these works by October 2024. We have to go through a process with the application to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. A ministerial notification must go to that Department for all recorded monuments and a two-month notification period is required in advance of any proposed work. We are in normal dialogue with that Department. Once we get that notification, we will be looking to proceed with these works - I am talking about July, August or September over the next four months.
The Phoenix Park guide service is also currently working on interpretive signage for the site and it is envisaged that we will have a sign in place by October 2024. This signage will alert visitors to the history and importance of the cromlech. As outlined earlier, I reiterate that my officials and I recognise the historic importance that the cromlech holds for the park, the surrounding area and indeed the city. We are committed to ensuring that these repairs are undertaken and that the cromlech is protected for future generations.
Finally, to address an important point brought up by the Chapelizod historical society and community, the OPW, as caretaker of this site, feels that a surrounding fence would not be appropriate. In general, monuments throughout Ireland have been placed in their natural locations and fencing would disrupt the public enjoyment and understanding of this monument. However, we will continue to look at ways to protect and preserve the monument. The process is under way and once we have the ministerial notification from the Department, we will proceed. We hope to have the works completed in October. The fencing and protection of the site itself has been discussed. As a rule, the OPW wants to retain natural habitat and environment. Those are the latest updates and I wait to hear the Senator's observations.
Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. In Ballina, there is a cromlech that the OPW has surrounded and to which it has given fantastic support and promotion. It has the signage and sympathetic infrastructure around it highlighting just how important it is. It is very important to Peter Kavanagh and the Chapelizod historical society that that is considered. I know that Peter has submitted photographs of the site in Ballina, County Mayo to the officials in order to say that this is what this should look like. There is no point talking about signage or commemorating the cromlech in the Phoenix Park museum if the actual thing is left open to the possibility of damage by scramblers or by anything and everything, because it is an area of the park which is tempting for scramblers. It is possible that that is what caused the damage, although again, fingers are pointing elsewhere. It needs to be safeguarded. There is sufficient space around it for a sympathetic bank or wall - a grass-type arrangement - to cause an impediment for scramblers to come in on top of it. The OPW is fantastic, in that when it does this, it does it incredibly well. Lastly, while I know the Minister of State has a busy schedule, I would love him to come down and meet these people and see their sheer passion and commitment.
Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I again thank Senator Seery Kearney for raising this important issue regarding the cromlech in the Phoenix Park. I will make three points. As for the officials, during my short time there I have seen a genuine intention and appreciation among the staff to try to preserve what we have in terms of the natural environment. Second, I will follow up with the Chapelizod historical society with regard to what has been implemented for Ballina, County Mayo. Third, I will find time to visit the cromlech together with the Senator. It is not too far away from here so we can arrange for that. Most importantly, as the Senator said, the cromlech is 5,000 years old. It is of fantastic historical significance and we in the OPW want to preserve it, as do the Chapelizod historical society and the people of Dublin generally. We are all working toward the same common purpose. Let us keep up the dialogue. I will follow up on Ballina and I look forward to visiting the site with the Senator.
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator and thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come here this morning to answer this very important question.