2026-04-28

Eleven years ago, a reply was given by a Minister of State in this Chamber that the works at Rattoo Round Tower in Ballyduff in north Kerry, which were being undertaken at that time, included conservation and repair, working on the exterior and then moving on to the interior. The works are continuing to this day and great work is being carried out by the national monuments depot works section, which is based in Killarney and in general does excellent work. However, the pace of the work is incredible and there is deep frustration in the Ballyduff area that this magnificent round tower, which has an unbelievable history going back 1,000 years, has remained closed for the past 15 years. Back in 2015, there were a few jobs to be done. The lightening conductor was being reinstalled and there were some other minor projects and it was promised at that time that some new interpretation would be made available on the site. I am not sure that the Office of Public Works, the Department or the Government realise the significance of this former ecclesiastical site. I met some German tourists there last year who came to Ireland to see two sites. One was Clonmacnoise and the other was Rattoo Round Tower, so on an international archeological basis, this is of huge significance. At one stage, the site contained the 1,000-year-old round tower, which is probably the best preserved in Ireland and the only round tower remaining in Kerry, an abbey and a hospital and, according to a local schoolteacher, a harp school of music operated there going back to the 1600s. As I said, the site has been closed for 15 year while these works are being carried out. Internal works have been completed and I am told there was a promise going back to the 1980s to reopen the site with an interpretative centre. In an area like Ballyduff, which some people feel has been neglected - there is a totally inadequate wastewater system there, for example - there is all the more reason for them to feel that the untapped tourism and historical potential is not being addressed. People are frustrated. The round tower could be the centre of a tourism project that would boost the village because it is just off the Wild Atlantic Way and employment, including secondary employment, could be created there. However, because of the scaffolding that surrounds the bottom of the round tower, it is a building site. People are not even allowed to go in and walk around the base of the structure. I am asking that the Government do one of two things, either build a platform so the inside can be accessed or, if it will not do that, remove the scaffolding so people can be allowed access around the base of the tower so it can be viewed properly. In the meantime - and this is an easy request; going back to the 1980s, as I said, there was to be extra interpretation - will the Government put some information signage with QR codes so the history, which is unknown to many people, can be explained? Will it link in with local people to source the local history? I suggest that the site be opened either for the Ballyduff Summer Festival, which will take place in June, or for Heritage Week, which will take place in August. The time for delaying this is over. It has gone on long enough and I ask the Minister of State to make it a priority.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Rattoo Round Tower, national monument No. 55, is a national monument in the ownership of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and is maintained by the Office of Public Works. In recent years, as the Deputy outlined, an ongoing programme of repairs has been undertaken, which included the regrouting and repointing of stonework and the installation of a platform to facilitate safe height access for future maintenance. The substantial works on Rattoo Round Tower are now complete and it is envisaged internal lime-washing will be done in the coming weeks when the walls have sufficiently dried out after the winter. Upon completion of the repairs, as previously advised, the OPW will issue a full report to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as required under the terms of ministerial consent. The OPW intends to introduce a new interpretation service at Rattoo Round Tower that will explain its history and context in Ireland's early Christian heritage. The OPW would welcome community stakeholder engagement during this process. That is what the Deputy called for - information signage to be put up and that will be helpful. It also hopes to be in a position to facilitate internal access to the tower for Heritage Week 2026. The logistics are currently being considered and the main factors contributing to this will be an appropriate outside access structure and the form it will take. That is the platform the Deputy is looking for. I think it will be delivered as well. As the Deputy is aware, there are challenges with access to the tower given the tall, slender structure with its confined internal spaces and steep vertical climbs. For the future, it will be necessary to undertake a safety audit of how visitors can access the areas within the tower, given the limitations of its upper floors. The Deputy also said that 15 years sounds like an incredibly long time and I suppose the locals in Ballyduff are anxious that the tower open as quickly as possible. It is interesting to hear it is of international archeological importance. The more we can do to open these facilities and heritage areas, which are much treasured, the better.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am glad minds have been concentrated and I hope they will remain concentrated after today. I hope the Minister of State will go back to the Department. I asked a parliamentary question about this matter a year ago and the reply indicated that a reassessment of risk and public safety access would be prepared. I understand from the Minister of State's reply, which I thank him for, that the OPW will issue a full report following the completion of the works, which should be soon. It is all a question of priorities at this stage. Given the length of time we have been dealing with this - the works have gone on for 15 years, but the OPW and Department have been looking at this and considering various interpretative centres around the area for 40 years probably - the least the people of Ballyduff deserve is that the report be prioritised and expedited as quickly as possible so the tower can be opened. The report will allow the access structure or whatever alternatives there are, to facilitate the reopening as soon as possible. It is not a lot to ask. The internal works have been completed. There is a platform inside. The door is 9 ft off the ground so when people go in they are on a platform. I think the lime-washing has been completed. If it is just a question of preparing a report regarding safety and the completion of the works, can that be done? Then, perhaps the centre could be open in time for the June bank holiday weekend, when the Ballyduff summer festival is on, or as the Minister of State hinted, it could be open for Heritage Week in August. That would be greatly appreciated after all this time.

I reiterate that the OPW remains committed to the conservation and protection of Rattoo Round Tower. Repair works will ensure the long-term preservation of the monument and provide the foundation for a careful reassessment of the extent to which internal public access may be possible. The OPW looks forward to the completion of this project and welcoming the Deputy and the local community to view the interior of Rattoo Round Tower in the not-too-distant future. The Deputy is absolutely right that this is an area of conservation. We also have heritage sites all around the country and sometimes we take them for granted. We probably did so. The Deputy outlined that German tourists came especially to see Rattoo Round Tower and Clonmacnoise. We have others. In our area, we have Moygara Castle, Carrowkeel, Sligo Abbey and Carrowmore and it is amazing to see people come who say they are there for the megalithic tombs or whatever. We sometimes take them for granted so I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I will discuss it with the Minister again tomorrow.