Local interests in Sligo have reacted with surprise to news that the Government believes it would have spend up to €30 million restoring Lissadell House if it bought the property for the State.
Having ruled out the outright purchase of the childhood home of the patriot Countess Markievicz, the Government is now seeking a partner from the voluntary or private sector to co-fund the purchase.
However, an informed individual close to the process said the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, and his officials were keen to do a deal.
But while Government sources said last month that an additional investment of about €5 million was necessary to make the property amenable to the public, multiples of that sum are now being mentioned.
This is in addition to annual operating costs, which have been estimated at €500,000.
The owner of the house, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth, said it would have been more helpful it the Government had provided a breakdown of the expenditure required. "The jump from €5 million to €30 million did rather surprise me," he said.
Sir Josslyn had been informed through intermediaries on several occasions in the past 15 years that the State would be interested in acquiring the property if it went on the market.
He said that a new roof had been put on the house in the past 10 years with grant aid from the State and added that the electrical system in parts of the house had been rewired recently.
The local Fianna Fáil TD, Dr Jimmy Devins, said: "I am astounded at the figures. I would like to see how they have arrived at them. I would still maintain that the State should buy it at the the asking price and then enter into negotiations with interested parties, as the Minister outlined, to see how it can be developed in the future."
The Sligo County Tourism Committee, which has urged the State to buy the property, said it wanted to see proof that €30 million was required.
The group's chairwoman, Ms Ita Leyden, said she was very disappointed that the Cabinet had not decided to proceed with the purchase of the house. "The idea of €30 million is just wild. It is not on," she said.
However, Department of Environment sources insisted that the figures Mr Cullen presented to the Cabinet in an aide-memoire were accurate. Such figures included purchase price of the house and an adjoining 400 acres, which was put at €3.75 million. The price of its contents have been estimated at a minimum of €1 million.
Sources in the Department of the Environment said that the immediate cost of conservation and presentation work would be €9.6 million.
This included general repairs, work on the preservation of the building and the addition of health, safety, fire and security features.
The sources estimated that the cost of similar work required in 2005-2007 would be €8.3 million, while expenditure of an additional €8.5 million would be required in 2007-2009. Additional money would be required for professional fees and VAT, the sources said.
They said the €5 million figure mooted last month was based on an initial examination by officials from the heritage division of the Department of the Environment. The requirement for additional investment was identified in the more detailed examination that followed the initial assessment by officials.
The Government has been under pressure from heritage and historical groups to buy the property. They have emphasised the historical role of Mr Gore-Booth's great aunts, Countess Markievicz and her poet sister, Eva Gore-Booth, and the links with the poet W.B. Yeats.
