Heritage Sites Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-13 ============================================================ Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central I thank Senator O'Loughlin for again raising this matter. She is, to be fair, continually representing the views of people, including their frustration. I share her view that the management and protection of the Curragh Plains are all of our responsibility. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Defence who, unfortunately, cannot be present and asked me to convey her apologies. She is attending the PDFORRA conference. She asked me to respond on the matter and thank the Senator for raising it. As the Senator has said, the Curragh, as State land, is vested in the Minister for Defence and is recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces, as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance, the main occupiers of which are the Defence Forces at the Curragh Camp and the Curragh Racecourse, which leases a large tract of land. In addition, the plains are used by sheep owners who avail of rights of pasture on the lands, which both locals and visitors to Kildare enjoy as a major natural amenity. The Curragh, as we know, is approximately 4,870 acres and is one of the most open and accessible areas in the country. While the Minister would not wish to see this level of accessibility diminished, I am aware the Senator, as a public representative from the area, is acutely aware that this has presented a number of challenges for management due to illegal camping and illegal dumping. As the Senator rightly said, in 2025 we saw many illegal encampments set up over the course of the summer months which caused a great deal of disruption and anxiety to people living in the area and to business owners. The Senator has articulated that very strongly, not just this morning but repeatedly in this House and in the Lower House. The Department of Defence does not accept those occupying these encampments have any right to reside on the Curragh Plains and, as such, has been engaged with the Chief State Solicitor's office in anticipation of any potential trespassing to ensure all legal steps are taken promptly to protect the plains. A High Court Order was secured in June last year and served on the inhabitants of various illegal encampments to vacate the area. The majority left immediately and have not returned since. In the case of trespass or criminal damage, it is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána to police the situation and the Department of Defence has engaged with it on this issue. I am aware the Senator has spoken to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and has met the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. The Senator and the Acting Chairperson will be aware of the arrival of a number of illegal encampments last month, and indeed the Senator made reference to some this week as well, I think. I can confirm to the House that the Minister's officials have engaged promptly with their legal team to progress swift action in dealing with those. I am informed formal notices were served upon those in illegal encampments and, in the main, these were successful in encouraging those trespassing to move on. Those who remain in situ were the subject of an application to the High Court last week for injunctive relief. Officials will continue to pursue this. As for addressing these challenges in the longer term, the Department of Defence is working to ensure we move to a modern and sustainable regulatory model for managing this historically important landscape. As the Senator has said, on foot of the recommendations contained in the report of two years ago on the Curragh conservation management plan, working with Kildare County Council, the Department is seeking to develop a suitable future management method and to highlight the importance and significance of the heritage associated with the Curragh Plains. I am aware the Senator has spoken to the Taoiseach and he has made reference to plans coming before the Cabinet soon. The report identified the need to consider a dedicated agency responsible for the Curragh or to assign responsibility for the site to an existing agency with the necessary expertise to maximise the potential of the plains. Department officials have been engaged with the National Parks and Wildfire Service and other agencies in this regard and that work is ongoing. The Minister is cognisant of the need to have in place a means of ensuring the conservation of this ancient landscape while also enabling the area to receive the recognition it deserves. I will come back to the Senator on the other points to do with the matter, but I thank her for raising it. --- 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/2026-05-13/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-13