The Taoiseach is backing a report which suggested Ireland's big houses could not survive without help, writes Martin Wall
The establishment of a new Heritage Trust and the introduction of associated tax breaks is the Government's response to a stark warning two years ago that the future of the historic Irish "big house" was under threat.
The president of the Irish Georgian Society, Desmond Fitzgerald, Knight of Glin, said yesterday that the bill for running such houses can now reach €200,000 to €300,000 per year when the cost of maintenance, conservation and insurance is taken into account. The society has warmly welcomed the new Government plan.
Two years ago, a report co-sponsored by the society and the Department of the Environment warned that the surviving great houses were in danger of disappearing forever unless concerted action was taken.
The author of this report, Dr Terence Dooley, said at the time that the financial burden of day-to-day maintenance, conservation and restoration had become such a problem that major works could be undertaken only by raising capital through the sale of contents or lands.
He suggested that the preservation of these historic houses should not be seen as a celebration of landlordism, but rather of the great artistic achievements of the architects who designed them.
The report studied up to 50 well-known historic houses and set out concerns for the future of many. It pointed out that the future of historic Birr Castle, for example, was dependent on the health of Lord Rosse. It said his death would trigger a discretionary trust liability of several million euro.
It warned that although Kylemore Abbey in Galway had been transformed by the Benedictine nuns into a major tourist attraction, areas of the house were infested with dry rot.
It pointed out that Bantry House had been closed to the public for a period in 2003 because even its €1.3 million turnover was insufficient to cover prohibitive insurance costs as well as rising overheads. It suggested that even publicly owned facilities such as Malahide and Ardgillan castles in Dublin could be hard to maintain due to shrinking local authority budgets.
The report found a champion in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who almost two years ago signalled that the Government would move towards establishing a new trust and introducing tax breaks to preserve the great houses.
He said at the time that "he had taken a fair bit of a personal hit" over his support for the great houses. Again last night, he maintained it had not always been a popular cause.
However, the Taoiseach said that whereas at one time there had been about 800 great houses, the number was down to about 70. He suggested this figure could fall to just over a dozen within a quarter of a century.
The Government subsequently commissioned consultants Indecon to carry out an independent review. Indecon maintained that, in addition to generating additional tourism and heritage benefits, the proposal for a new trust and associated tax breaks could save the Exchequer money by reducing the requirement for the State to purchase and operate additional properties.
It suggested there would be only a very limited number of properties in private ownership which, over the medium term, would be potential candidates to be taken over by a national trust. It signalled that most properties in private ownership would still require existing State support. The State already pays out more than €10 million in grants for such heritage properties.
The new initiative will be closely examined by some opponents in the Dáil who are already sceptical about existing tax breaks for stallions and private hospitals. The Government announced last year that it was reviewing all such tax shelters in the run-up to this year's budget.
However, last night's announcement seemed to suggest new measures are on the way.