Funding of €2 million for the development of a marine conservation and education centre in north Dublin was announced by the Minister for Tourism, Mr John O'Donoghue, last night.
The centre will be located at the Irish Seal Sanctuary site in Garristown, Co Dublin and will be financed under the tourism product development provision for Fáilte Ireland.
"The intention is to develop a purpose-built marine conservation centre which will add to the tourist attractions of north Co Dublin," said Mr O'Donoghue.
The announcement was welcomed by Green Party leader Mr Trevor Sargent who claimed that the centre would attract around 100,000 tourists once completed.
The seal sanctuary has been in operation for 18 years and is a registered charity and a private limited company. The development plans for the project will be negotiated between the sanctuary and Fáilte Ireland.