Heritage Schemes
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-04
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Gareth Scahill (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

The Minister of State is very welcome today. I think it is important that I briefly explain what Rathcroghan is and what the Farming Rathcroghan model project is. Rathcroghan - the fort of Cruachan - is an ancient capital of Connacht and is one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Ireland and in Europe. Rathcroghan is recognised as the oldest and largest unexcavated royal site in Europe, a landscape where history, mythology, farming and community life have existed side by side for thousands of years.
It is a landscape where history, mythology, farming and community life have existed side by side for thousands of years. The Farming Rathcroghan project is a pioneering initiative in County Roscommon that works with local farmers to protect this unique archaeological landscape while allowing farming to continue in a sustainable and heritage-sensitive way. Over recent years it has supported 90 farmers and helped to manage and protect more than 260 internationally significant archaeological sites across roughly 40 sq. km.
Continued support for the Farming Rathcroghan project is essential and unfortunately it is urgent because right now, this project is facing a very real and immediate threat. If additional support is not secured the project is due to cease at the end of March. I did try to get this Commencement matter in last week so I am sorry for the short notice. Without additional funding the project office, the staff of five and all related schemes will cease to exist. If the administrative structure is lost the entire project, built over eight years, is at risk of collapsing completely.
The evidence that supports the Farming Rathcroghan project is very clear. Since its launch the project has supported 90 farmers. It has protected over 260 archaeological sites, developed a best practice model for managing heritage within working farmland and leveraged approximately €2.5 million in competitive EU funding to deliver real outcomes on the ground. It has created training programmes, community engagement models and practical conservation measures while building strong trust and participation among farmers acting as custodians of this nationally and internationally significant landscape.
The most immediate priority right now must be the retention of the administrative staff because without them, funding applications cannot be prepared or managed, farmer supports cannot be co-ordinated and heritage protection measures cannot be overseen. The organisational structure that holds everything together would disappear. If there is any hope of maintaining this project, even on an interim basis, the administrative core must be protected. Retaining the small but highly skilled team is the bridge between where this project is now and any future funding solutions. Losing them means losing momentum, expertise, relationships and credibility.
This must become a priority for the Heritage Council, the OPW and the National Monuments Service. These are the agencies with responsibility for protecting our heritage. This project has demonstrated over eight years that farmers can be active partners in heritage protection and not obstacles to it. What is needed now is immediate practical support and at a minimum to retain administrative staff and maintain the core structure of the project while alternative funding streams are secured because once this infrastructure is lost, rebuilding it will be vastly more difficult and far more expensive. We are not being asked to fund an untested idea; we are being asked to fund a proven protective programme, an award winning model that protects heritage, supports farmers, strengthens rural communities and enhances Ireland’s cultural standing. Allowing it to disappear now when it is delivering real results would be a profound loss locally, nationally and internationally. If we want this project to survive, we must act now.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:35+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-04