Genealogical Society archives
Senator Warfield raised a local Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown issue about protecting the Genealogical Society of Ireland’s archives and facility. He asked that the council help keep the cultural resource in Dún Laoghaire.
Please allow Senator Fintan Warfield to contribute. When he does contribute, he is very much to the point and brief, which I respect.
Comment on this
Last week Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council passed a motion calling for its chief executive to convene an early meeting of the board of the Genealogical Society of Ireland to discuss the decision of the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company to acquire the premises that houses the unique archives and research facility of the society and explore the assistance the council could provide in keeping the valuable cultural and educational facility in Dún Laoghaire. It was proposed by Councillor Shane O'Brien of Sinn Féin and seconded by Councillor Patricia Stewart of Fine Gael. I should note that I am a nominee of the Genealogical Society of Ireland. The background to the motion is the imminent closure of the society's archives on the pier.
It is set to close on 14 February following the delivery of a notice to quit from the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. I would like to see the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, intervening to address this issue in the light of the proposed transfer to the harbour company by February 2017. I ask the Minister to address the issue.