125 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the reason it was decided to locate the folklife collection facility outside Dublin when the interim board recommended that it be located at Collins Barracks, Dublin. [8450/97]

The housing and display of the museum's folklife collection was an issue under discussion for many years before the Collins Barracks facility was considered. I had earmarked £8 million available from the Structural Funds aided allocations under my aegis for a project to house the folklife collection but I envisaged this at a location outside Dublin.