St. Laurence's Gate repairs and funding
The Minister said the Commissioners of Public Works had carried out substantial repairs and would maintain the monument, but funding to open it for tourism was the owner's responsibility.
asked the Minister for Finance when finance will be provided for work to be carried out on St. Laurence's Gate, Drogheda, County Louth; whether he is aware that this is one of Ireland's most renowned monuments; and that no finance has been provided for this monument for many years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Comment on this
St. Laurence's Gate, Drogheda, which is owned by the Corporation of Drogheda, was placed in the Guardianship of the Commissioners of Public Works in 1965.
In the intervening years, substantial repair works were carried out by the commissioners and of course, any maintenance works required in the future to protect the national monument will also be carried out by them.
However, financing of works to enable the monument to be opened up for tourist purposes, which is what I presume the Deputy has in mind, would be beyond the function of guardianship. This would properly be a matter for the owner, aided if desired, by other interested parties and subject to the consent of the commissioners under the National Monuments Acts.
I am fully aware that this is indeed a very important monument being a barbican of one of the town gates in Drogheda and regarded as the first of its kind in the country. I agree that if it were re-opened to the public it would be a most welcome added tourist attraction in the Boyne Valley region.
I understand that the Corporation of Drogheda have made the refurbishment and opening of the gate to the public an objective in their draft development plan and I would be very happy to see them achieve this goal. As one of the main streets of Drogheda passes through the arch of the monument, I would expect that the proposal may require the implementation of new traffic regulations also.