Fota House needs Government funding to stave off closure

ONE of Ireland’s best known stately homes will be forced to close to the public early next year unless the Government steps in with financial assistance.

Fota House in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, a 76-room mansion set amid 780 acres of manicured lawns and exotic trees, is in financial crisis, according to the secretary of the trust which runs it.

Former MEP Professor Tom Raftery said attractions such as Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park and Dublin Zoo had received 57 million in capital investment from the Government in the last seven years. In comparison, the 19th century Co Cork mansion had received just 1.5m. Prof Raftery said that, while business was picking up at the stately home, the Government needed to invest at least 200,000 per annum for it to survive. “Insurance costs alone this year were 93,000. You have to add on the cost of heating, which is phenomenal. We have had successful functions, including weddings and corporate dinners, but we’re not getting enough,” said Professor Raftery.