The State was not prepared to offer more than £40,000 to buy the national monument site which is strongly believed to be the birthplace of Daniel O'Connell near Cahersiveen, Co Kerry, according to documents released this week under the Freedom of Information Act.
This is despite great interest from the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, who was then a local TD and the minister for justice. He believed the 18th century two-storey ruin, and approximate 1.5 acres of land, should be preserved.
The documents, relating to negotiations on the purchase of Carhan, Daniel O'Connell's birthplace, show that despite "lobbying" and numerous communications from Mr O'Donoghue, his colleague, Ms Síle de Valera, the minister for arts, heritage and the gaeltacht at the time, was not prepared to budge from an initial offer recommendation of £25,000 from her advisers in the Office of Public Works (OPW).
In November 2000, Mr O'Donoghue wrote to Ms de Valera to say he was surprised at her line "given that O'Connell was the first great member of parliament from Clare. Seriously, I have to say that as the father of Irish democracy, O'Connell merits the place of his birth being secured for the future generations. Would the Americans leave George Washington's birthplace languish like this even if it were in ruins?"
In a letter in late January 2001, after several unsuccessful attempts to persuade Ms de Valera, Mr O'Donoghue said: "I note with approbation that your department is reported to be in negotiation with the landowner to acquire the Poulnabrone Dolmen in Co Clare, one of the better known examples of this type of megalithic artefact, considerable numbers of which are scattered across the Irish landscape (we have dozens of them in south Kerry)." This prompted him to remind her of his "outstanding request" to bring into State ownership the birthplace of O'Connell.
In 1999, OPW valuer Mr Martin Connolly, following a meeting with the owners, Mr and Mrs O'Connell of Knoppogue, Mastergeehy, descendants of O'Connell, warned it was a "futile exercise" to offer less than £50,000.
A report from Ms Joan Murphy of the Historic Properties division of the OPW notes that "because of the condition of this site, buildings in a ruinous state, no architectural features remaining and also its listing under the National Monuments Acts, the only likely purchasers are this department or some local group". One of the key factors in the department's reluctance to go higher, notes along the margins show, was "the existence of a dedicated facility to Daniel O'Connell" already at Derrynane on the other side of Cahersiveen and the State's investment in the house as the ancestral home of O'Connell. Derrynane was the home of O'Connell's uncle, which was left to him. The OPW's final offer in April 2001 of £40,000 to Ms Sheila O'Connell was not replied to, according to the documents.
The O'Connell family wanted the State to buy the site, rather than a private investor, their agent Mr Eddie McQuinn said this week. The site, which is still for sale, has considerable commercial interest, he said.