The Government's intent to purchase Farmleigh, the former stately home of the Guinness family, is welcome - though it is perhaps a pity that Ministers did not move more speedily and decisively when the plan to sell the mansion was first reported three weeks ago. In this, as in other areas, a tendency to dither over a decision while public opinion crystallises - to follow, rather than to lead - has been evident. The Government seems to have been prompted to act by the widespread dismay that greeted reports, since denied, that it had refused a first option on the property before it went on the market. In any case, it can now press ahead with the stated support of the main Opposition in the Dail and the approval of most people in conservation and heritage circles.
Farmleigh is a magnificent, Victorian neo-classical mansion of about 40,000 square feet standing in 78 acres of land on the edge of Phoenix Park. Many people, especially those struggling to buy a home in the overheated property market, will have balked at the statement from Mr Enda Kenny of Fine Gael that the house would be "outstanding value" at a reported price of £15 million - and the eventual cost could be considerably more. Nevertheless, its sale does represent probably the last opportunity to acquire a stately home of this magnificence for the nation. And despite its high price, Farmleigh could hardly have come on the market at a better time for a State purchase, given the current buoyancy in the public finances.
There have been many proposals as to how a publicly owned Farmleigh might be used: as a centre for international dispute resolution; as a new home for the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht; as a music conservatoire; as an exhibition centre of paintings and period furniture; as a place for housing distinguished foreign guests; these are just some of the suggestions. The notion of using it as a Taoiseach's residence has already been ruled out.
It is essential however, that if the Government succeeds in buying Farmleigh, the mansion and grounds should be as open as possible for the public to enjoy. This would not preclude any of the possible uses mentioned above; the State Apartments of Dublin Castle, for example, are just one model of how a historic building can serve as a site for diplomatic meetings and State ceremonies, while also welcoming ordinary visitors from home and abroad and earning substantial tourism revenue.
Moreover, it seems particularly fitting - given the prominent role in Irish life of the Guinness family and their most celebrated product - that Farmleigh should belong to the people of Ireland, in a real as well as a symbolic way. Its acquisition now, at the end of the century which saw the arrival of Irish independence and the gradual, sometimes faltering, coming of age of the new State, might carry a particular resonance; for the new-found confidence that has come with economic success, a European outlook, hopes of peace in the North and an emerging social pluralism should enable us to accommodate, acknowledge and treasure the great relics of the Anglo-Irish past.