Government needs to invest in heritage as we approach 2016

Judging by the recent interest in the media in Ireland’s heritage, singer Joni Mitchell had it right all those years ago: ‘We don’t know what we’ve got ‘til it’s gone, or almost’.

And those Russborough paintings have certainly started to go, which is nothing short of disastrous.

Once they have gone, they are gone. Their potential to enrich all our lives, to afford us another reason to visit Wicklow, to sustain employment, to provide opportunities for education and study, is all gone, too.