Minister of State for Regional Economic Development Michael Ring has said negotiations on the future of Westport House in Mayo were still at a “very sensitive stage”.
Mr Ring, who was in Kerry yesterday to announce a capital investment in Killarney National Park, said he was “hopeful we can find a solution for Westport House in the very near future”.
The 18th-century mansion, which has been home to the Browne family and one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, is still on the market for €10 million.
It is understood several international and national hotel/leisure interests have expressed interest since it was put on the market earlier this year. However, a sale is contingent on resolution of an outstanding loan on the surrounding lands.
Some 380 acres of the estate were put up as security on a loan of €6.5 million taken out by Lord Altamont in 2006 as part of plans for further development.
Mr Ring, who is based in Westport, was instrumental in ensuring the loan was withdrawn from a portfolio sold by the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) to US investment company Cerberus last year.
Mayo County Council and Nama have been involved in protracted discussions, with a view to the local authority acquiring the loan as part of a deal that would ensure the house could be acquired by a “benevolent investor” and left open to the public.
Part of that jigsaw is understood to involve possible acquisition of some land for the local authority’s social housing building programme.
In Killarney yesterday, Mr Ring said he intended to “continue to invest in our national parks and nature reserves to ensure they remain a vital tourist resource”.
